Ransomware

In the wake of a cybersecurity breach over the weekend, an Iowa school district is putting programs on hold while investigators try to ascertain whether the incident was a ransomware attack or a data breach.

Almost a month after a cyber attack shut down its website and various other systems, the public community college has recovered phones, email and other functions while using in-person workarounds for others.

A cyber attack against the California public community college two weeks ago blocked access to network systems or took them offline. Administrators say they're approaching full recovery but aren't there yet.

As cybersecurity continues to concern state governments, many have turned to task forces to address issues such as ransomware, phishing and other threats. But what have they accomplished so far?

In a co-authored report about a 2021 ransomware attack, former administrators of Broward County Public Schools in Florida shared information with Safer School Solutions that they had withheld from the public.

A $100,000 emergency procurement package – containing two vendor agreements – was unanimously passed this week to mitigate a “network security incident” that affected 85 county computers.

Cyber insurance won’t ever be “cheap” again, says Cysurance’s Kirsten Bay. But insurance firms might make it more attainable with ways to monitor clients for good cyber behavior and adjust limits accordingly.

NIST’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence has released the first of several preliminary drafts outlining ways that organizations can implement zero-trust architectures.

Everyone from the press office to city treasurer has a role to play in cyber incident response, and getting elected officials engaged early is essential, say Coalition of City CISOs co-chairs.

Former CISA director Chris Krebs has joined data security firm Rubrik, where he’ll help the firm better understand unmet cybersecurity needs across different sectors. The company homes in on data resiliency and recovery.

North Dakota and Indiana passed laws last year requiring local governments to report cyber incidents to the state. The states say this helps them direct cybersecurity resources to localities in need and better understand the threats.

In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, a lead analyst from the accounting and business advisory firm Schneider Downs discusses cyber attack vulnerabilities and what colleges can do to mitigate them.

State and local governments are often seen as easy targets for hackers. To avoid devastating ransomware attacks that have plagued cities worldwide, a first key step is to limit privileged access to systems.

County spokesman Nathan Rudy said the county ‘experienced a ransomware breach’ this morning and as part of the county’s response, officials temporarily shuttered the county email system. An investigation is underway.

Cybersecurity guidance needs to be designed so small organizations can easily identify next steps to take, and awareness campaigns should put practices into language layfolk can understand, experts say.

Chicago Public Schools say a ransomware attack on tech vendor Battelle for Kids in December compromised the data of 56,000 staff and half a million students, including names, dates of birth, grade level and student ID.

Organizations — federal and otherwise — that have certain VMware products connected to the Internet should act as if they’ve been compromised, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in a May 18 alert.

Lincoln College in Illinois announced they were closing their doors as a result of COVID-19 and cyber attack disruptions. Who’s next?