Hackers post Tarrant County property owners’ data from ransomware attack on dark web

Noah Alcala Bach
·1 min read

Medusa, the hacking group responsible for the ransomware attack on the Tarrant Appraisal District, has published data on the dark web it obtained from the attack, TAD said Tuesday.

“TAD is aware that the criminal group Medusa has illegally posted files they claimed to have obtained from the TAD network,” Chief Apprisiaer Joe Don Bobbitt said in a statement. “While TAD limits the collection of sensitive data in majority of circumstances, we worked closely with leading cybersecurity experts to carefully review the affected data, and all individuals.”

Content on the dark web is not accessible by search engines and requires a special browser.

Bobbitt said the 300 individuals whose information has been compromised have been notified via mail.

Medusa set a ransom $700,000. The appraisal district did not respond to a question about whether it negotiated with the group.

Some tax exemption forms require a driver’s license, Social Security or Federal Tax I.D. number. Homestead exemption forms ask for a copy of the owner’s driver’s license.

Bhavani Thuraisingham, a professor of computer science with a specialty in cybersecurity at UT Dallas, said Social Security numbers and driver’s licenses are the most damaging information that can be exposed online.

“TAD’s IT team is continuing to work with cybersecurity experts to monitor the status of Medusa’s leak site, and additional updates will be provided if there are any further developments,” Bobbitt said closing his statement.

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