It’s been a tough few months for many local IT departments.

Last week, hackers posted a handful of files stolen from SeaTac airport on the dark web. A ransomware gang is attempting to sell a trove of stolen Port of Seattle data for 6 million dollars in Bitcoin – after the Port refused to pay up. 

The cyber-attack a little over a month ago snarled travel when it took down ticketing, baggage, and other SeaTac services.

But that’s just the highest profile ransomware case in the Seattle area in recent months.

A few weeks ago, the Highline School District canceled classes because a cyberattack had wormed its way into the local system. There was also a crippling ransomware attack on Seattle Public Libraries back in May, which put their book checkout and online systems in limbo for months

For more on what’s happening – and how organizations can protect themselves –Soundside caught up with Robby Winchester, the vice president of services and a co-founder of SpecterOps, a Seattle cybersecurity company. 

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Guests:
Robby Winchester on the line. He’s the vice president of services and a co-founder of SpecterOps, a Seattle cybersecurity company. 

Related Links: 
Hackers demand $6 million for files stolen from Seattle airport operator in cyberattack | AP News
Highline schools closing Monday because of cyberattack | The Seattle Times
Why did ransomware hackers target Seattle Public Library? – GeekWire

It’s been a tough few months for many local IT departments.
Last week, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/seattle-airport-cyberattack-ransomware-rhysida-95cd980a9f45112f0fdce488233eec9c">hackers posted a handful of files</a> stolen from SeaTac airport on the dark web. A ransomware gang is attempting to sell a trove of stolen Port of Seattle data for 6 million dollars in Bitcoin – after the Port refused to pay up. The cyber-attack a little over a month ago snarled travel when it took down ticketing, baggage, and other SeaTac services.
But that’s just the highest profile ransomware case in the Seattle area in recent months.
A few weeks ago,<a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/highline-schools-closing-monday-because-of-technology-breach/"> the Highline School District canceled classes </a>because a cyberattack had wormed its way into the local system. There was also<a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2024/why-did-ransomware-hackers-target-seattle-public-library/"> a crippling ransomware attack on Seattle Public Libraries</a> back in May, which put their book checkout and online systems in limbo for months
For more on what’s happening – and how organizations can protect themselves –Soundside caught up with Robby Winchester, the vice president of services and a co-founder of SpecterOps, a Seattle cybersecurity company. 
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes" data-stringify-link="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes" data-sk="tooltip_parent">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.
Guests:
<ul>
<li>Robby Winchester on the line. He’s the vice president of services and a co-founder of SpecterOps, a Seattle cybersecurity company. </li>
</ul>
Related Links: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://apnews.com/article/seattle-airport-cyberattack-ransomware-rhysida-95cd980a9f45112f0fdce488233eec9c">Hackers demand $6 million for files stolen from Seattle airport operator in cyberattack | AP News</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/highline-schools-closing-monday-because-of-technology-breach/">Highline schools closing Monday because of cyberattack | The Seattle Times</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.geekwire.com/2024/why-did-ransomware-hackers-target-seattle-public-library/">Why did ransomware hackers target Seattle Public Library? – GeekWire</a></li>
</ul>

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