Russian Ransomware Hackers Hit Close To Home

You hear and see the stories of businesses getting hacked but it's not too often that you have it happen closer to home. A Joplin radio station felt the brunt of a Russian ransomeware attack Sunday, August 11.

According to a story from InsideRadio.com, Sky High Broadcasting religious teaching outlet “The Word” KNEO Joplin, MO (91.7) was the victim.

The attack corrupted the station’s audio files and came with a demand of $100,000 to restore them.

GM Mark Taylor said they didn't buckle under and pay the extortion fees. Parent company Sky High Broadcasting had their IT specialists on the job.

The story from Inside Radio also says:

Cyber-attacks on radio station files have recently become an increasingly common and frustrating issue for broadcasters. Attacks affected adult alternative “88.5 Community Radio” WMNF Tampa, River Radio of Southern Illinois and Urban One, which reported that an attack that crippled some of its IT systems and databases ultimately cost the company $1 million in lost revenue and expenses.