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Authorities in Johannesburg refuse to concede to hackers’ Bitcoin demand – Bitcoin News

The authorities of the Johannesburg city have firmly refused to pay bitcoins as a ransom to the hackers who commanded 4 Bitco
The authorities of the Johannesburg city have firmly refused to pay bitcoins as a ransom to the hackers who commanded 4 Bitcoins worth $37,000.

The Johannesburg authorities have decided not to fulfill the demands of the hackers. The city surfaced with an attack on October 24 that damaged services, including billing, land information systems, and property valuations, along with eHealth and Library services.

The hackers, calling themselves assassination killers, commanded a ransom of four Bitcoins worth around $37,000 to be paid by October 28, but the authorities have taken a firm stance. MMC for Finance responsible for Group Information and Communications Technology, Councilor Funzela Ngobeni, has asserted that the officials will not admit to the demands of the hackers. She further reported the recovery of many critical user-facing systems and stays confident about the restoration of the entire system.

“The city has always taken a position against the lawlessness of any nature and form. This cyber-attack is being seen not only as an attack on the city’s system — but as an attack on the people of our city,” said Ngobeni.

The city is working to regain possession of its online centers for customer services, civic, and water affairs, but the call center is still down. According to the reports, the hackers had emailed workers undeviatingly demanding Bitcoin payments, implying authorities to shut down all systems and alleviate the chances of further crime.

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