Ransomware Attack

The sunset had set in motion. Dusk descended over to demonstrate its hegemony to the world. Bank award function held in the heart of Bengaluru hogged the limelight for all the right reasons. Multiple bank workers had congregated together to make the night special. The spirit of competitiveness blended perfectly with an air of enthusiasm. The coveted moment finally dawned upon to announce the most coveted award of the night. Kendra Bank of Karnataka won the most prestigious 'Best Bank of Karnataka' award thanks to their relentless hard work over the years. The way the bank catapulted to success was an incredible story. Few good samaritans started the bank from scratch. They worked diligently, without compromising on the quality that led the bank to reach the pinnacle of success. It was certainly an emotional and a proud moment for the bank manager Jitendra who had sacrificed his blood, sweat, tears and time for the growth of the company. He received the most prestigious award on stage, having shouldered the responsibility of the bank on his able shoulders. His intellectual acumen, attention to details, the respect he bestowed upon the fellow employees were instrumental in shaping the success of his bank. He called all the employees of the bank to grace the stage so that they could celebrate the momentous occasion together. They were just reaping the benefits of what they had sowed, which was their unwavering spirit and never give up attitude. Jitendra thanked each one in his bank who was directly or indirectly responsible for the major success. 

In a private email, he appreciated his employees. 

My Dear Employees,

I would like to thank each one of you for having given your all for the growth of our bank. You stood in solidarity with the bank through ups and downs. There were times when we felt helpless, but the resilience you showed kept us going. If it wasn't for your relentless hard work and unflinching commitment, we wouldn't have reached this milestone. I would like to take this occasion to unveil exciting news for all of you. We will open new branches across Karnataka and your salary increment will take effect starting from next month. I hope this news will bolster your morale further and help you work with more enthusiasm as we progress further to achieve many more milestones. My best wishes to all of you.

Regards,

Jitendra

Kendra Bank of Karnataka left no stones unturned in opening new branches across Karnataka, thereby becoming the Goto bank of Karnataka people. They actually thrived even in adversities. But when you reach the summit of success, you garner more enemies. Unfortunately, they did not expect the storm that had silently sneaked into their computers. They were unprepared to handle the virus hidden beneath the cloak of their computers. All computers in the bank got hacked, taking them by surprise. They couldn't login to the systems. Since everything has turned digital, this came as a serious dent in their business. Jitendra couldn't believe his eyes. They had not expected this storm and had no panacea to resolve it. Kendra Bank of Karnataka had become a victim to the most dangerous ransomware attack. 

"We are hereby informing you to pay a ransom of 2000 crores within a stipulated three days if at all you want your business transactions to move on seamlessly. The clock ticking has already started. Please click on the below option to transfer the said money. Failure to comply with the request invites fire consequences. Would you like to see your bank shut down?"

This message came as a shocker to the bank that was commemorating the massive success it had achieved over the years. 

Investigations went underway to zero in on the culprits, but they hardly had three days before the servers would lock forever, which in other words meant doomsday for the rising bank. The bank employees who had burnt midnight oil to see their company grow had to now face the worst ordeal, which was to lose their collective jobs. The news soon became viral, raising the eyebrows of the Kannada people. All those who had an account in the bank had their hearts jump to their mouths, fearing the worst. This was an unprecedented digital attack that had never happened before in India. The account holders flocked the bank branches, compelling them to close their accounts by returning their saved amounts. The bank looked helpless since they couldn't do so until the access was restored. Nobody knew the mastermind behind the ransomware attack. The account holders protested outside the banks and the reporters of media recorded the commotion. The bank that had reached the pinnacle of success slumped to the ground in an instant. Raju, an employee of Kendra Bank of Karnataka, looked dejected at the aftermath of the ransomware attack. He worried about his future. He had to take the onus of his family on his shoulders since everybody in the family depended on him. His friend Rakshith from Rajya Bank of Karnataka consoled him. Since the clock was ticking, it was only making the bank more anxious. 

The manager of Rajya Bank of Karnataka, Giri, spoke to an anonymous caller over the phone. Rakshith was the only one who had stayed on the bank premises since he had not completed the day's work. He happened to overhear his manager, who seemed to have orchestrated the ransomware attack. He spoke to a Chinese person over the phone. 

"I will supply ration needed for the next three days. Also, I will settle all your dues by Thursday. Do not decrypt the code under any circumstances. I do not want my competitors to grow in front of my eyes. Let them confront their inner demons and get trampled upon by our conspiracy."

Rakshith couldn't believe his ears upon hearing his manager's words filled with menace. He knew he would die in guilt if he does not reveal the news. He thought of leaving the bank for the day and meet his friend. But his plan went for a toss. His manager had seen him while speaking to his Chinese friend. 

"What is your business inside the bank's premises?" he asked in a loud tone. 

"I have completed the work for the day. I am just leaving, sir."

"I know you want to take credit by making startling revelation in public," the manager's eyes simmered with anger. 

Before Rakshith could put a foot forward, he quickly grabbed him by his neck. He demonstrated his ruthless aggression as he choked his own employee to death. Before anybody could smell his murder, he ferried the dead body to the back of his car and drove towards a deserted place. He couldn't afford to let him breathe, since that would prove to be his undoing. He threw the dead body in the middle of trees before racing away from the spot. After reaching the home, he heaved a sigh of relief at having escaped from getting caught. 

A couple accidentally found the dead body freaking out. They shared a post in the social media tagging the police, thereby grabbing eyeballs. The police quickly thronged to the spot to recover the dead body before it could get decomposed. Rakshith's parents happened to see the social media post, which broke their hearts. They had never even in their wildest dreams imagined their son to die a dog's death. They begged the police to issue a stringent punishment to the perpetrators responsible for the heinous murder of their son. The police carried out the probe diligently, not compromising the case. They visited the bank as part of their investigation process. They even checked the CCTV camera to see if they could unearth the truth. On the D day, only Rakshith and the manager were present inside the bank hall, which raised suspicion. In a shocking twist, the CCTV camera did not function after that. They spoke to the manager who clarified that someone might have deliberately malfunctioned CCTV to get their job done. The police went back. However, they decided to keep an eye on the manager. 

Two and a half days had already passed and the police couldn't even zero in on the whereabouts of the culprit. Situation was spiralling out of control and the bank was on the verge of collapsing. The hard work done for years threatened to go up in smoke. To add salt to their injury, the account holders of the bank too were in trouble. Giri drove his car to a deserted spot to meet the Chinese hacker accountable for ransomware attack. He opened the lock and swaggered inside to deliver food to the hacker.  

"We are just hours away from locking the servers forever. I don't see them paying the ransom. After locking the servers, I would want you to evade the police eyes. The only way to do that is to go back to your nation. I have already arranged a flight for you. You do not have to worry about getting apprehended."

The Chinese hacker acknowledged his words with a nod. The police had kept a close watch on the movement of the manager. Giri came out of the house and locked it. He slipped back into his car and disappeared out of the sight. Secret house reeked of evidence. The police inspector hired professionals to break open the lock so that he could unearth the truth hidden inside the house. The lock got opened, and the hacker wondered why the bank manager came back again. Before he could rack his brains, the cops confronted him. 

"What the hell are you doing here? I will shoot you if you do not disclose the truth," they grabbed him by the collars, holding him at gunpoint. 

The Chinese hacker wasn't good in dealing with people, since he had spent all his life in front of computers, learning the technology of hacking. He let his guard down and spilled the beans. The police couldn't believe their ears. They had hit two birds with a single stone. The Chinese hacker got apprehended for illegitimately carrying out a ransomware attack, leading to colossal grievances of the bank employees and its account holders. The police compelled him to decrypt the locked files, thereby restoring the access of the Kendra Bank. They also congregated at the manager's house to ensure the latter did not run away from the judiciary. Giri got caught off guard when the police arrived at his hall. He was watching a cricket match until then. 

"Why are you here, sir? I think you have come to the wrong house," he said with a smile. 

"We have come to the correct house address, sir. You are the one who has wronged Kendra Bank of Karnataka," the police gave a befitting response. 

The secret ejected out of their mouth sent his heart into a coma state. He tried to masquerade as an innocent to camouflage his true colours. 

"What are you saying, officer? Why would I wrong any bank? Please mind your tongue before talking gibberish."

"We are not here to talk incoherent, sir. We are here to reveal your true colours. You are the mastermind before the ransomware attack."

"I will sue you for the defamation. What evidence do you have to substantiate your claim?" Giri continued his Oscar level acting. 

"Your secret house is unveiled in front of the public. Your Chinese hacker is under our custody. Your time is up."

 Giri's conspiracy did not see a happy ending as he got jailed for his sins. Jitendra thanked the police from the bottom of his heart for nabbing the culprits within a stipulated time, thereby ensuring the resumption of the bank's services. The account holders who had gone through a nightmare felt revived and they hurled expletives at the manager of the Rajya bank for having resorted to a disgusting deed to fuel his personal vendetta. The resurrection story of Kendra Bank of India found a way into the history books.