Ransomware

An Oklahoma school district is providing identity theft protection services through IDX after an unauthorized party gained access to systems that contained Social Security and bank account numbers.

Global tensions are prompting state and local governments to deepen focus on their abilities to prevent, withstand and recover from cyber incidents, and many are particularly concerned about risks to sensitive data, according to a new report.

The cyber incident continues to disrupt services like accepting payments and issuing and processing permits. The county says it is looking for fixes and actively investigating the incident with the help of third-party specialists.

The Dallas Central Appraisal District website has been down for more than two weeks after being hit by a ransomware attack, and there’s still no word on when the site might be available to the public again.

College and university IT departments are busier than ever accommodating the shift to hybrid learning models, putting pressure on CISOs and their staff to strengthen cybersecurity without ballooning costs.

Iran-sponsored advanced persistent threat actors accessed a federal civilian executive branch agency via an unpatched Log4Shell vulnerability. CISA and the FBI warn organizations to check their systems for signs of compromise.

K-12 schools, with their wealth of data and limited resources, are tempting targets to ransomware criminals and hacktivists, says a new report. Nonprofits offer free support, but some say the federal government must do more.

An Oklahoma school district has restored most of its network operations following a ransomware attack last week. The district is still working with data forensics specialists and law enforcement to investigate.

An Oklahoma school district is advising students that their Google accounts and some handheld devices are safe, but they should not use district-issued desktops or laptops due to a ransomware attack last week.

More states consider rallying volunteer cyber teams that can provide services like incident response and vulnerability assessments throughout the state. These models differ from state to state, however.

The search for answers is ongoing in the case of the Oct. 20 ransomware attack against the 85 partners of the Midland Information Technology Consortium. Email and phone services have been restored, officials say.

While working with independent cybersecurity experts to investigate, an Iowa school district that suffered a cyber attack in September has since restored its systems and refused to pay the attacker's ransom.

Warning of a ransomware attack on Friday, Norman Public Schools asked families to turn off any devices issued by the district and not connect them to any network until further notice while law enforcement investigates.

Small glitches remain throughout the county systems, but officials say they are nearly 90 percent recovered from the BlackCat ransomware attack that disrupted city operations in mid August.

Auditors for the Port of South Louisiana say damages from the 2021 cyber attack totaled more than $420,000 in misappropriated funds. Only around $250,000 was recuperated through insurance.

The second International Counter Ransomware Initiative Summit drew together 36 nations and the E.U. to commit to share more information, establish international standards to disrupt illicit payments and coordinate other efforts to combat the threat.

The 2023-2025 strategic plan calls for whole-of-nation information sharing, unification within CISA, and more. Plus, CISA and partners discuss its forthcoming incident reporting rules and why “shields up” needs to be the new normal.

When state and local government suffers a cyber attack, officials are faced with a dilemma: How much is the public entitled to know? How much can you reveal while keeping systems secure?