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Baltimore Ransomware Probe Looks at Connection to Online Posts

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BALTIMORE (AP) - The city of Baltimore and federal authorities are investigating whether documents posted online are connected to a ransomware attack that has hobbled the city's computer network.

A mayor's office spokesman, Lester Davis, tells The Baltimore Sun that there's currently no evidence personal data has been was breached in the May attack.

However, a Twitter account claimed to be run by the attackers posted city material and faxes, including a detailed assessment of a woman's medical history. And before Twitter suspended the account on Monday, someone used it to direct message the Sun, threatening to post more financial documents and personal information on the "darknet."

City officials have refused a demand to pay the equivalent of $76,000 in bitcoin in response to the attack, which used a ransomware variant called RobbinHood.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.