<story><title>A Cyberattack &apos;the World Isn’t Ready For&apos;</title><url>https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/22/technology/ransomware-attack-nsa-cyberweapons.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=second-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>matt_wulfeck</author><text>&amp;gt; &lt;i&gt;Finally, before they left, they encrypted her computer with ransomware, demanding $130 to unlock it, to cover up the more invasive attack on her computer.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anyone having hard time swallowing this? They broke in and were totally undetected when they planted a... rootkit (unclear from article). While undetected they silently stole user credentials... Then to cover it all up, they ransomware&amp;#x27;d the computer?&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#x27;s like breaking into a house and putting a bug in the wall, and then to cover the tracks you smash in the front door and leave the water running in the sink.&lt;p&gt;If the attacker was completely undetected, why intentionally jeopardize that?</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>Quarrelsome</author><text>No it makes perfect sense. If you want to land an advanced persistent threat but your entry is detectable a distraction is ALWAYS a great psychological tool.  
The very best and long lasting victories are made when you convince the loser that they&amp;#x27;ve won.&lt;p&gt;So the premise is that they clear the ransomware and think its over. But its not.</text></comment>
<story><title>A Cyberattack &apos;the World Isn’t Ready For&apos;</title><url>https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/22/technology/ransomware-attack-nsa-cyberweapons.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=second-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>matt_wulfeck</author><text>&amp;gt; &lt;i&gt;Finally, before they left, they encrypted her computer with ransomware, demanding $130 to unlock it, to cover up the more invasive attack on her computer.&lt;/i&gt;&lt;p&gt;Anyone having hard time swallowing this? They broke in and were totally undetected when they planted a... rootkit (unclear from article). While undetected they silently stole user credentials... Then to cover it all up, they ransomware&amp;#x27;d the computer?&lt;p&gt;It&amp;#x27;s like breaking into a house and putting a bug in the wall, and then to cover the tracks you smash in the front door and leave the water running in the sink.&lt;p&gt;If the attacker was completely undetected, why intentionally jeopardize that?</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>tallanvor</author><text>Why is it hard to swallow?  Really it&amp;#x27;s a classic magician&amp;#x27;s trick - misdirection.&lt;p&gt;Think of it this way: if you are responsible for security, you never assume that you&amp;#x27;re fully protected.  If you&amp;#x27;re a smart hacker, it should be the same thing: you never assume that you won&amp;#x27;t be detected.</text></comment>