Hack that cost Baltimore $18M a mystery after experts eye NSA link

Weeks after Baltimore and a North Carolina city fell victim to ransomware known as “RobbinHood” — attacks some experts say involved a tool developed by the National Security Agency — Maryland officials and intelligence agencies don’t have a clear picture of exactly what or who caused the crippling cyberattack.

Attacks targeted Greenville, N.C., on April 10 and Baltimore on May 7, which locked both local governments out of their computer servers for ransom. City systems are slowly recovering from the attack, which officials said cost Baltimore more than $18 million. The head of the city’s information technology office apologized for what’s been called a slow response to the incident.