5 Hacks by Dallas Ransomware Attackers

Federal intelligence agencies say that Royal, a Russia-based hacking group, has pulled off more than a dozen ransomware attacks since February. During these attacks, the hackers will infiltrate computer systems of schools, hospitals or municipalities, and lock up all the data until a ransom is paid.

Royal is behind the recent ransomware attack against the city of Dallas. The hack has disrupted services across the board. But the group was busy before this most recent attack, both in and out of Dallas, targeting governments and organizations.

Simon Taylor, founder and CEO of the data backup company HYCU, told the Observer that it’s not a matter of if a ransomware attack will happen, but when, and that local governments should be prepared. “We’re seeing this more and more often. These cities and municipalities are being targeted by ransomware terrorists,” Taylor said. “The severity of an attack like this can be really really extreme.”

Silverstone Circuit
One of the higher-profile attacks was launched last November. When Royal pulls off a hack, the group posts about it on its blog. On Nov. 8, 2022, the group announced that it hacked Silverstone Circuit, one of the most popular racing circuits in the United Kingdom, according to techcrunch.com.

“The end of the the Second World War had left Britain with no major racetrack but plenty of airfields,” the group wrote in its post about the Silverstone Circuit hack. “On Oct. 2, 1948, the Royal Automobile Club hosted the first British Grand Prix at Silverstone, a former RAF base. An estimated 100,000 people flocked to see Luigi Villoresi beat 22 others in his Maserati [on a track] marked by bales, ropes and canvas barriers. Silverstone racing history has begun.”

The group also posted the number of employees in the circuit, 89, and its revenue, $57 million. Another attack, this time in Dallas, would come the same month.

Dallas Central Appraisal District
A Nov. 8, 2022, attack took down the systems, servers, email and website of the Dallas Central Appraisal District (DCAD). The agency is responsible for appraising Dallas County properties for tax purposes. It said at the time that staff was working around the clock to restore…