A virus that affected several City of Newark computers on Friday and over the weekend, had the hacker allegedly demanding ransom.
According to reports, the computers were infected with RSA-2048 encryption, which affects Word and Excel files, picture files,'and virtually any file that runs on a desktop computer.
In the alleged document, the hacker explains that RSA-2048 maleware typically tricks computer users to run an attachment in a spam email.
Once the maleware is launched, it encrypts files and requires a private key to open them. The private key is provided after user pays the ransom, in this case of 24 Bitcoin, or approximately $30,000.
The city police is reportedly working with state and federal law enforcement to address the issue.