Hackers break into state database, demand money

Hackers are everywhere, and they're not just hacking for fun; they're doing it for money. In the latest case, hackers made their way into a Virginia state website used by pharmacists to track prescription drug abuse. The criminals deleted records on more than 8 million patients and replaced the site's homepage with a ransom note demanding $10 million for return of the records, according to Wikileaks.

If this is not proof of how serious and destructive hackers can be, what is? According to a Washington Post article, Sandra Whitley Ryals, director of Virginia's Department of Health Professions, referred all questions about the theft to the FBI. "There is a criminal investigation under way by federal and state authorities, and we take the information security very serious," she said.

For more on this theft:
- see this Washington Post article

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