Ransomware

Russian-linked ransomware. Billions of dollars in cyber insurance. A growing workforce. Understanding the latest data on cybersecurity in the public sector is critical to establishing a secure and productive operation.

The Hawaii Office of Homeland Security and the Office of Enterprise Technology Services are responding to a hacking incident on the websites of Hawaii airports that is "possibly linked to similar incidents across the country."

A newly released White House fact sheet highlights national cybersecurity efforts and plans, including around cybersecurity labels for consumer IoT, international ransomware-fighting collaborations and more.

The California college shut down its network earlier this month after detecting suspicious activity on a Sunday morning. Administrators are working with a third party to determine whether information was compromised.

CISOs are gaining attention outside the IT office and cyber funding isn’t a top challenge — for the first time in survey history. But CISOs still wrestle with talent gaps and need to strengthen local relationships to build whole-of-state approaches.

Experts say uncertainties over stolen data will persist well into the future, not only for the district but for those employees and student families whose personal information was published on the dark web.

The state plans to open cyber ranges and security operations centers at state colleges and universities. Students would get hands-on training and a career start, while the operations would provide localities with cyber analysis.

Guidance from the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is that paying ransomware demands is a mistake that doesn’t guarantee resolution, but districts in a bind have many variables to consider.

Nearly a year after the state passed a law making it illegal to pay cyber criminals to regain access to encrypted systems, not everyone is convinced the ban is going to put a dent in the number of cyber attacks in the state.

Colorado restored its state web portal home page and is working with state and federal partners to investigate the incident. Other sources have named pro-Russian hackers, Killnet, as the perpetrators.

Several state webpages were intermittently unavailable yesterday, and colorado.gov remains down. Killnet, a politically motivated, pro-Russia hacking group, has claimed credit for the disruptions.

The May 26 incident compromised the town’s IT system and affected government email capabilities for several weeks. Officials say the intrusion was made possible by the Log4j vulnerability.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on the Federal Trade Commission to pressure businesses to protect consumer data. He also urged the Department of Justice to strengthen investigations and prosecutions of hackers.

The cyber criminal group reportedly responsible for the attack has published 500GB of files containing Social Security numbers, passport details, student psychological assessments and other information.

The city of Buffalo has accepted access to the CrowdStrike cybersecurity platform as part of a no-cost partnership with the state’s Joint Security Operations Center, which launched earlier this year.

The federal agency tasked with safeguarding U.S. cyber infrastructure is pushing to make cybersecurity a “kitchen table issue.” Director Jen Easterly said her mission has been, in part, to cut the “nerdspeak.”

Keeping up strong data breach defenses is tricky as technologies evolve and governments adjust to hybrid environments. Maricopa County CISO Lester Godsey explains why data inventorying, vendor risk management and cybersecurity audits are key.

After Fremont County called a declaration of local disaster because of a cyber attack against computer systems, departments have been steadily coming back online thanks to the county's IT team.