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Lucas Ropek

Staff Writer

Lucas Ropek is a former staff writer for Government Technology.

Cybersecurity

California University Researching COVID-19 Suffers Cyberattack

A hacking group, which has successfully attacked at least three universities recently, threatened to publish sensitive research information to the dark web if monetary demands are not met.

June 05, 2020
· Lucas Ropek
Cybersecurity

Anonymous Claims Responsibility for Minneapolis PD Cyberattack

The well-known hacktivist group said it would punish authorities in Minneapolis and Minnesota for the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of police. Floyd's death has sparked protests globally.

June 03, 2020
· Lucas Ropek
Cybersecurity

Nigerian Hacking Group Targets State Unemployment Systems

"Scattered Canary" is an agile, sophisticated hacker group that recently made off with millions of dollars stolen from the Washington state unemployment system. It has targeted similar systems across the country.

June 01, 2020
· Lucas Ropek
Cybersecurity

Minneapolis Hit with DDoS Attack amid Social Unrest

A cyberattack temporarily disabled certain city systems and websites Thursday morning. The cyberattack comes amid protests over the police killing of George Floyd earlier this week.

May 29, 2020
· Lucas Ropek
Cloud & Computing

Florida Technology Council Creates State Advisory Workgroup

A group of former state and local Florida government IT officials want to foster an ongoing dialogue with state government and policymakers centered on IT modernization and reorganization efforts.

May 28, 2020
· Lucas Ropek
Cybersecurity

Utah Think Tank Pushes for New Layer of Surveillance Oversight

A proposal from a Utah think-tank suggests that the state create a first-of-its-kind privacy oversight committee and public officer to evaluate the ways the government uses surveillance technology.

May 22, 2020
· Lucas Ropek
Cybersecurity

North Dakota CIO Talks Cyberdefenses in the COVID-19 Era

The novel coronavirus forced state governments across the U.S. to change their operations at a moment’s notice. For CIO Shawn Riley, the shifting landscape brought logistical challenges and increased attention from hackers.

May 19, 2020
· Lucas Ropek
Cybersecurity

Arkansas Shuts Down Unemployment Website After Data Exposure

An unemployment benefits website run by the Arkansas state government suffered a large data breach that left the personal information of thousands of applicants exposed, state officials confirmed.

May 18, 2020
· Lucas Ropek
Cybersecurity

Cyberattack Disrupts Texas Department of Transportation

The attack is the second of its kind to target a state agency in less than a week. On May 8, the state’s court system was targeted by a ransomware attack, which seized control of a portion of the statewide network.

May 18, 2020
· Lucas Ropek
Cybersecurity

Risks Overshadow Benefits with Online Voting, Experts Warn

As governments struggle to adapt to the election challenges surrounding COVID-19, a number of states have launched Internet voting pilots. But many experts argue that these programs could easily be co-opted by malicious actors.

May 15, 2020
· Lucas Ropek