Florida Studio Theatre Endures Ransomware Attack

SARASOTA, FL — A ransomware attack put the Florida Studio Theatre offline for four days, disrupting business as the theater rebuilt its systems using backups, its managing director said.

The theater, which was impacted by encrypted malware, went offline Feb. 12 and slowly started to come back online Feb. 14, said the managing director, Rebecca Hopkins.

“There’s no indication that patron files have been impacted at all,” Hopkins said. “Credit cards on file haven’t been touched. They’re saved through a third-party served that wasn’t impacted by this.”

The biggest impact was to the theater’s “working files” that staff need to access as they plan programming and handle other matters at FST.

Theater staff caught the attack early, preventing the malware from extensively impacting their systems and files.

“We blocked our systems,” Hopkins said. “We pulled the plug on it and shut it down in response.”

The Sarasota Police Department continues to investigate the attack.

Hopkins stressed that they don't fully know the extent of the attack yet.

"The investigation is ongoing, so I could get a surprise I don't know about," she said.

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The malware attack came as FST prepares to reopen its doors for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic at the end of March. Carole J. Bufford takes the stage most nights between March 24 and April 25 with her show Vintage POP! Three Pianos is another live show planned during April.

“It’s a terrible thing. Your first thought is, ‘Who hates me so much? Who would do this to you?’” Hopkins said. “Then you find out that it has nothing to do with you at all. It’s a random thing that happens to businesses. They don’t know us from Tom.”

The theater has been working closely with police, cyber insurance investigators and an attorney that specializes in cybersecurity as they recover from the attack, Hopkins said. FST is also beefing up its cybersecurity so this doesn’t happen again.