Cybersecurity

The challenges of defending water infrastructure are numerous. Many of the systems in California – and nationwide – are still operating with outdated software, poor passwords and other weaknesses that could leave them at risk.

Contrary to initial reports from Tucson Unified School District, Bloomberg News found that cyber criminals posted stolen confidential records online in February, including employee Social Security numbers.

Leaders from Dallas’ fire rescue and police agencies say mistakes are being made and calls for service are being delayed as a result of the ransomware attack that has infiltrated the city’s systems.

Weeks after a cyber attack crippled the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department computer systems, county officials confirmed that the hackers had been paid a $1.1 million ransom.

Dallas officials are working to restore services after the city was hit with a ransomware attack earlier this week. The attack affected multiple systems, including police, courts and 311 as well as multiple city websites.

County officials have acknowledged that they paid the cyber extortionists who uploaded malware to the Sheriff's Department's computer system. The county paid $511,852 while insurance covered the remainder.

Seven jurisdictions have formed the North Shore IT Collaborative, hoping to overcome limited budgets and other challenges by joining together for bulk purchasing, support and info sharing.

After a ransomware attack left it without Internet service for days, a Pennsylvania school district is still conducting classes with unconnected devices and old-school papers, pencils, lectures and group activities.

Having already confirmed an unauthorized intrusion of its network, a Minnesota school district has further confirmed it was a ransomware attack, which it did not pay, and which compromised some employee data.

The attack hit on Wednesday, and it has caused court closures, problems with the city's 311 app and an outage for police websites. It also has the potential to disrupt online payments.

The company is working to erect guardrails to help mitigate the potential danger from AI tools, though the potential for them to be used by bad actors remains a significant concern in the wider space.

Santa Clara Family Health Plan said Monday that the sensitive information of 276,993 members — including names, contact information, dates of birth, member IDs and Medi-Cal credentials — may have been compromised.

An analysis by the Virginia-based cybersecurity firm GuidePoint Security found a 17 percent increase in ransomware attacks on schools since last quarter, and almost half of cases globally involve U.S. public entities.

While administrators say there's no evidence of compromised data, the university network lost many key functions over the weekend, leaving students to use hotspots while finishing final projects and preparing for exams.

The exhibition came about through a partnership between community colleges and universities across the state to share simulations, senior projects and opportunities in cybersecurity with current and prospective students.

A public university in Georgia will collaborate with Savannah River National Laboratory in research and global security projects related to cybersecurity, cyberphysical systems, data analytics and quantum cryptography.

Lowell, which is Massachusetts’ fifth largest city, discovered a cyber intrusion early last week, and its response saw many city systems taken offline. Meanwhile, Spartanburg County, S.C., was struck by ransomware, too.

The February ransomware attack against the Bay Area city exposed personal data and affected city systems for several weeks, but officials are now reporting significant progress in the recovery effort.