Ransomware

In 2020, ransomware criminals made 300 percent more money than they did in 2019. The first step to slowing down this trend is to stop making ransom payments, but organizations should improve their cyber defenses as well.

Some state legislators feel it should be illegal for organizations to pay ransomware criminals, as payments may encourage more attacks. However, a number of cybersecurity experts have spoken against such bans.

Criminal ransomware attacks launched from Russia have shaken the U.S. but are not particularly valuable to Putin, experts say. The right political pressure could reduce this kind of cyber crime.

A cyber attack on Emma Willard School last week resulted in the theft of employee social security numbers and financial information. The school is now providing free credit and identity theft-monitoring services.

Sunset Beach, N.C., faced a series of ransomware attacks over a six-week period. Fortunately, the local IT team recovered most of the town’s documents and has taken multiple steps to improve security.

Judson Independent School District has paid an undisclosed amount to regain access to its network and communications after a ransomware incident last month took them offline. Authorities are still investigating.

During an Illinois House committee hearing Thursday, expert Haywood Talcove urged the state to take action on cybersecurity. Talcove believes unemployment fraudsters have stolen $1 billion from Illinois.

Multiple sources have indicated that the Biden administration wants to apprehend ransomware criminals by tracing cryptocurrencies. Some members of Congress are reportedly unimpressed by the overall plan.

The National Cyber Scholarship Foundation is aggressively expanding its CyberStart game intiatives to entice undiscovered talent toward cybersecurity positions and address top-tier skill gaps.

A statement from officials at Joplin, Mo., City Hall said that the systems affected had been isolated and the incident reported to law enforcement. City officials also consulted a cybersecurity firm.

The Joplin Police Department notified the local newspaper on Wednesday morning that the city’s computers were down, and as such, the newspaper would not be able to access the local crime reports.

The Detroit-area school district’s access to phone systems and software tools has been restored following a ransomware attack June 10. Officials last week were unable to say whether data had been impacted.

A previously unknown flaw in IT management code was exploited to push ransomware around the world to servers that used the software and were connected to the Internet, according to researchers.

Although the details surrounding a recent cyber attack against St. Clair County, Wis., remain foggy, officials approved a policy that adds multi-factor authentication and new password standards across the county.

The Yuba County, Calif., Board of Supervisors recently approved agreements with three different information technology companies to improve the county's IT security after a ransomware incident in February.

State and federal authorities are still investigating a cybersecurity incident at Judson Independent School District that took down phones and email, and may have put student information and staff bank accounts at risk.

What if your cybersecurity training isn't good enough? Sajed Naseem, CISO of New Jersey Courts, and Rebecca Rakoski, co-founder of XPAN Law Partners, share their insights on this pressing modern issue.

Nearly a week after a ransomware attack was first detected at St. Joseph's/ Candler, the Savannah, Ga., area's largest health-care system is still not yet back to normal as officials work with the FBI on the incident.