On May 7th 2019, most of Baltimore City’s government computer systems were infected with RobbinHood, a ransomware variant. The hackers’ ransom note demanded 13 bitcoins in exchange for keys to restore...

On May 7th 2019, most of Baltimore City’s government computer systems were infected with RobbinHood, a ransomware variant. The hackers’ ransom note demanded 13 bitcoins in exchange for keys to restore access. The ransom note also stated that if the demand was not met within four days, the price would increase and within ten days Baltimore would permanently lose all of the data on the affected systems.

• As best you can from your research, describe the entity’s existing technology infrastructure at the time of the breach and what security flaws may have led to the success of the attack.


• What laws do you think are applicable to the attack? State? Federal? International? Note that these laws can apply both to the hacker/s and to Baltimore City.


• What, if any, liabilities or penalties do you think Baltimore could face for the breach? This includes any past, current or future lawsuits or settlements as well as any fines or penalties.


• Using your best judgment, what are your recommendations to create and maintain an infrastructure that would most robustly and effectively protect against future breaches and the liabilities resulting from those breaches? Include specifics such as hardware and software recommendations, compliance with laws, industry best practices, and any appropriate third-party solutions.

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  https://baltimorebrew.com/2019/05/21/baltimores-out-of-date-and-underfunded-it-system-was-ripe-for-a-ransomware-attack/
  


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  https://www.baltimorebrew.com/2019/05/22/what-would-it-take-to-transform-baltimores-anemic-it/
  


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  https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/06/baltimores-bill-for-ransomware-over-18-million-so-far/
  


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  https://gizmodo.com/baltimore-city-officials-estimate-fallout-from-ransomwa-1835286970