Ransomware Knocked The Weather Channel Off Air
On April 18, 2019, an unknown ransomware variant knocked The Weather Channel off the air. Fortunately, the interruption time was minimal, totaling approximately 99 minutes. While services were offline, the network played a prerecorded program until they were able to restore their systems.
The ransom demands have not been disclosed.
Speculation
It would not be too shocking if we hear at a later time, that The Weather Channel paid the hackers the ransom demands. Why? Because in a vast majority of cases, restoring systems post-ransomware infection takes time. More than 99 minutes.
It also wouldn’t be surprising if we find out the ransomware variant used was Ryuk. This particular ransomware strain targets large businesses who have the means to pay the ransom demands and cannot afford downtime. This is the same ransomware variant that hit Tribune Publishing late last year.
