Anonymous Hackers Resurface Amid Civil Unrest In U.S.
Notorious Hacking Group “Anonymous” Strikes in Honor of George Floyd
The hacking group Anonymous recently took to Facebook with a video declaring their intent to “expose the many crimes of the Minneapolis Policy Department” to the world, in response to the death of George Floyd. Shortly after the video surfaced, the Minneapolis Police Department’s website went offline, in what is suspected to be a result of a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack orchestrated by the hackers. The group proceeded to gain access to the MPD’s primary email account and obtained roughly 800 emails which have now been leaked to the public.
Anonymous Strikes with a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Cyber Attack
While Anonymous is known for its elaborate hack attacks in response to major world events, the methods that group employs to achieve its goals are not uncommon. Hackers often use Distributed Denial of Service attacks to overflow computer systems with an abundance of data to the point that they are rendered inoperable by legitimate users. In many cases, DDoS attacks are deployed to interrupt the flow of business operations, with the intent of diverting attention away from hackers while they access sensitive information. This sensitive data can be sold or traded on the Dark Web.
Is a DDoS Cyber Attack Covered in a Cyber Insurance Policy?
Yes! Evolve’s cyber insurance policy would react to this Anonymous hack in the following ways:
- Cyber Incident Response – The 1st call in a DDOS claim is to Evolve’s 24/7 forensic expert hotline to stop the hackers in their tracks and get everything back up and running! Forensic experts normally cost $500/hr and work around the clock until everything is fixed. These costs normally range in the tens of thousands of dollars.
- Legal & Notification Costs – Evolve’s cyber insurance policy would cover the notification of each affected individual, as well as the cost of a data breach attorney. These specialized attorneys normally charge $500/hr to advise the affected business on how to comply with federal, state, and private “privacy” regulatory bodies. Most often, these legal hourly billables far outweigh the cost to notify each individual of their stolen information.
- System Damage and Business Interruption – Evolve’s business interruption clause would reimburse the Insured for income lost as a direct result of the DDoS attack. It would also cover the hourly billables to commission a team of employees or outsourced consultants to rebuild any damaged computer systems or data from scratch. These costs can get large if the business depending on the businesses missed sales!
- Network Security and Privacy Liability – Evolve’s third party liability clause would cover the defense and settlement of a lawsuit (or multiple lawsuits) resulting from lost or stolen sensitive information.