Hacker hold Virginia hostage:

http://www.money.co.uk/article/1003694-hac...cal-records.htm

Hmm. I think this will end in an arrest.

Most likely; however, I like the idea for run. Reminds me a little of the plot for Black Madona.

This crazy ork holed up in a detective agency office did it....

The big question is where is this hacker... are we talking arrest, or stuffed in a bag and tossed off a bridge =p

Does the where really make a difference?

Sure. If they catch him in suburban Atlanta, he'll get arrested. If he gets caught at an internet cafe in Kabul, he'll get beaten with a phonebook until he talks, then thrown in a sack, and dropped out the back of a C-130.

The hacker is quite likely out of Russia or somewhere in the neighborhood of the Phillipines, if he's smart. Neither have the inclination or tools to track down, arrest and extradite hackers. Most likely the deal will be sorted out under covers, so we won't know if any ransom is paid or not, and the hacker will get away free.

Last I heard, the capture rate for data theft like this is around 2%.

Sadly, the U.S. doesn't give a damn about it's citizen's health care, and will likely be far more interested in catching and prosecuting the hacker than getting those records back.

Perhaps I am a little more cynical that you. Perhaps I am thinking more SR than RL.

Please refrain from bringing RL politics into discussions. Thanks.

"Back"? How do you get something back which can have infinite copies? VA still has the original copies, from my understanding. I don't know that there is a safe way to secure the data without either a) catching the hacker or b) paying off the hacker, with a being extremely difficult and possibly illegal, and b encouraging the same behavior in the future.

The only real long-term solution is to make hacking systems run a risk beyond that of legal repurcussions. Perhaps if we installed automated defenses that KILL the hacker if he trips them, the percentage chance of DEATH would make hacking less attractive. Otherwise, we're basically stuck with our thumbs up our collective hoop.

Hence, black IC.