Rumpke investigating cyber security attack

CINCINNATI (WXIX) -Rumpke is investigating a cyber attack incident that occurred on Friday.

According to Halcyon, a website that reports on ransomware attacks, Hunters International conducted the ransomware attack.

When Rumpke confirmed this report, they stated they were aware of a cybersecurity incident and were collaborating with forensic experts for investigation.

The report claims that the group stole 3.3 terabytes of data.

Ransomware can attack in two ways: it can encrypt company data, rendering it unusable, or it can steal sensitive information, threatening to make it public.

FOX19 NOW's Tech Expert, Dave Hatter, says ransomware poses a serious threat to businesses by locking them out of their computer systems or sensitive information and demanding a ransom for access.

"The longer you can run the ransomware, the more systems they can impact, the more likely you are to want to pay," Hatter explains.

Hatter says a group will ask for money to undo the encryption, and if the company refuses, it will start leaking information.

"These folks are pretty despicable. There have been numerous instances where something like a school district or hospital will get hit. They're not going to pay because they can restore their systems, and the group will start to release the mental health information of children," Hatter said.

Hatter emphasizes that incidents like this remind the public to take precautions for their safety.

"If you don't have good backups, and you can't restore your data, you might not be able to survive an attack like this," Hatter said.

FOX19 NOW followed up on Tuesday morning, and Rumpke says that there is no update; they still believe that the public's information is safe.