Alarm in Texas as 23 towns hit by 'coordinated' ransomware attack

[Eugene]

Source: CNBC

Alarm in Texas as 23 towns hit by ‘coordinated’ ransomware attack

PUBLISHED MON, AUG 19 2019 9:58 AM EDT UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO

Kate Fazzini
@KATEFAZZINI

Twenty-three Texas towns have been struck by a “coordinated” ransomware attack, according to the state’s Department of Information Resources.

Ransomware is a type of malicious software, often delivered via email, that locks up an organization’s systems until a ransom is paid or files are recovered by other means. In many cases, ransomware significantly damages computer hardware and linked machinery and leads to days or weeks with systems offline, which is why it can be so costly to cities.

According to a weekend update by the Texas DIR, the attacks started Friday morning and though the locations aren’t named, “the majority of these entities were smaller local governments.”

Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered a “Level 2 Escalated Response” on Friday following the incident, according to a statement from Governor’s Office deputy press secretary Nan Tolson. This response level, determined by the state’s Department of Emergency Management, is part of a four-step response protocol, and is one step below the highest level of alert, level 1 or “emergency.”

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Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/19/alarm-in-texas-as-23-towns-hit-by-coordinated-ransomware-attack.html

[AJT]

1. Well thank goodness we're eliminating that pesky cybersecurity nonsense from our budget.

[Eliot Rosewater]

2. Putin is testing, Abbott is actually assisting Putin on this one.