Ransomware Attack Temporarily Takes Down the Met

According to The New York Times, the Metropolitan Opera in New York is the largest performing arts organization in the country. As such, it might not be surprising to learn the Met is the latest high-profile organization to be targeted in a cyberattack, a particularly brutal one at that.

The cyberattack occurred earlier this month, taking down the Met’s ticketing system. This system takes in more than $200,000 per month, meaning this downtime threatened a huge revenue stream for the organization. The attack also hit the Met’s payroll: The organization had to switch from digital payroll to writing checks one-by-one for all its employees, which number some 3,000 across its divisions.

Some wonder whether hackers in Russia are to blame, as the Met has shown itself to be unabashedly pro-Ukraine this year, although the Met’s general manager points the finger at an “organized criminal gang,” and has since notified the FBI.

According to experts, the attack has all the signs of ransomware. All it takes is for one member of the organization to click the wrong link, or open the wrong attachment, and all of a sudden an entire network is held hostage by hackers until a ransom is paid. The Met is not a standard target, showing that hackers are now going after any and all organizations that will bring them attention.

Luckily, the Met is back up and running, even if they were forced to sell initial tickets for $50 a pop.