Michael Hiltzik: He Spent 24 Years Building His Business. A Ransomware Attack Blew It to Smithereens From Los Angeles Times Fran Finnegan was on vacation in New York just before the Fourth of July weekend when he received a disturbing text message from one of his customers: How come his website was down? Finnegan quickly searched out a computer to remotely examine his site, which provides access to millions of documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. There he discovered a disaster unfolding in front of his eyes in real time. Hackers had breached his site’s security and had taken over. He watched helplessly as they encrypted all his files, placing them beyond reach.