Hacker Gets Ransom to Release Wash. Fire District Computer Files

A hacker who took control of a Washington fire district's computer received a ransom to end the incident.

The FBI suggested that the city of Snoqualmie, which provides information technology services to King County Fire Protection District 45, pay the $750 to get the computer unlocked, according to The Snoqualmie Valley Record.

The problem occurred Jan. 7 when an employee clicked on a link in a bogus email. That program encrypted all the files on the fire district's computers, the paper reported.

The e-mail looked like an invoice from the fire district's dispatch center, Fire Chief David Burke told reporters, adding that the scam message looked nearly identical to ones they usually receive. 

"None of the financials, payroll, none of those things were accessible. It was more of our daily documents, policies procedures, etc," he added.

Snoqualmie's IT department helped the fire district handle the situation.