Hacker Demands $10 Million For Stolen Records From Virginia

A hacker who claims to have stolen 8 million records from a database that tracks prescription drug abuse in Virginia is demanding a $10 million ransom for the information’s return. The FBI and Virginia State Police are investigating.

The breach involves the Virginia Department of Health Professions’ (DHP) prescription drug-monitoring database.

The breach apparently happened April 30. The hacker posted a note on WikiLeaks.org — a Web site devoted to leaking documents — demanding the ransom and threatening to sell the data on the open market if the state did not pay.

“I have your s@*t! In *my* possession, right now, are 8,257,378 patient records and a total of 35,548,087 prescriptions,” the WikiLeaks note reads. “Also, I made an encrypted backup and deleted the original. Unfortunately for Virginia, their backups seem to have gone missing, too. Uhoh :(“

FBI wiretapping intercepted!

(“Reuters” via “Der Spiegel”)

To think I used to be worried. Admittedly I am a little paranoid and I tend to see dark forces at work whenever I am having trouble posting or the phone connection sounds slightly strange. But now I know, it is probably not the FBI…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A telephone company cut off an FBI international wiretap after the agency failed to pay its bill on time, according to a U.S. government audit released on Thursday.

…

“Late payments have resulted in telecommunications carriers actually disconnecting phone lines established to deliver surveillance results to the FBI, resulting in lost evidence, including an instance where delivery of intercept information required by a … FISA order was halted due to untimely payment,” the audit said.

Now I feel safer!