Last month, Montgomery County had its data encrypted by attackers who demanded 9 bitcoins, an online currency not recognized by any government or bank. The county tried to recover its data, but eventually relented and paid the attackers to prevent them from deleting the data.
The county has already paid about $45,000 for the ransom to get its data back. Lou Ialacci, chief information technology officer for Montgomery, said at a county commission meeting that he is working with experts to put in place new intrusion detection and backup systems.
More: Montgomery County doesn't plan to reveal its blueprint to prevent new cyber attacks, citing security
The county has been approached by the FBI and United States Air Force, he said, to hold cyber-security forums.
©2017 the Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, Ala.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
