Hackers have been holding the city of Baltimore’s computers hostage for 2 weeks | Vox

Also see Analysis of ransomware used in Baltimore attack indicates hackers needed 'unfettered access' to city computers | Baltimore Sun

"Here’s what’s happening: On May 7, hackers digitally seized about 10,000 Baltimore government computers and demanded around $100,000 worth in bitcoins to free them back up. It’s a so-called “ransomware” attack, where hackers deploy malicious software to block access to or take over a computer system until the owner of that system pays a ransom.

Baltimore, like several other cities that have been hit by such attacks over the past two years, is refusing to pay up. As a result, for two weeks, city employees have been locked out of their email accounts and citizens have been unable to access essential services, including websites where they pay their water bills, property taxes, and parking tickets. This is Baltimore’s second ransomware attack in about 15 months: Last year, a separate attack shut down the city’s 911 system for about a day. Baltimore has come under scrutiny for its handling of both attacks."

Hackers have been holding the city of Baltimore’s computers hostage for 2 weeks | Vox