San Francisco Muni hack (nonfiction)

San Francisco Muni logo.

In November 2016, computer systems at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency ("Muni") were hacked for ransom.

USA Today reported:

A ransomware attack took ticket machines for San Francisco's light rail transit system offline all day Saturday (November 26) during one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year, but rather than shutting down, the agency decided instead to let users ride for free.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, known as Muni, reported that agents' computer screens displayed the message "You Hacked, ALL Data Encrypted" beginning Friday night (November 15).

The attackers demanded 100 Bitcoins, worth about $73,000, the San Francisco Examiner reported. The agency did not respond to questions about whether the amount was paid.

The cybercrime disrupted Muni's internal computer system and email but did not affect the actual running of the transit agency, which runs buses, light rail, historic street cars and the city's famed cable cars.

Source: Elizabeth Weise, USATODAY 7:29 p.m. EST November 28, 2016

Fiction cross-reference

• Gnomon algorithm
• Gnomon Chronicles
• Killer Poke

Nonfiction cross-reference

• Moscow cable car hack (nonfiction)

External links:

• San Francisco Municipal Railway @ Wikipedia