The Voice • December 2017
Ransomware attacks on local government offices have unfortunately become all too commonplace. These incidents usually conclude with the stolen data being returned or retrieved with an access-key provided to the county by the attacker, once the typically large amount of ransom money has been paid. This could have happened to the Becker County government offices in Minnesota, who were subject to a ransomware attack. Luckily, it didn’t.
Last year, Becker County had invested in utilizing data backup systems for their IT Department. By taking the precautionary action, the county office was able to completely bypass the demands made by the attacker. Becker County IT Director Stacie White said, “it’s amazing, we restored everything and got the whole system up and running in 24 hours.” [1]
The ransomware virus that struck Becker County disabled the county services website, office printers and the main internal system. The attacker had cleverly disguised the virus file to appear as though it was much older than it actually was.The IT staff were able to isolate it and shut down connections to external server locations to prevent it spreading beyond the affected systems. [1]
Technical security for the workplace is essential within the land recording industry. By implementing a data backup system, Becker County was able to react with a preparedness that saved them from what could have been a disastrous and expensive outcome.
Fidlar Technologies has optional services for implementation that can help protect our County Partners’ data. If you are concerned, we invite you to further discuss the matter with us.
Sources
[1] http://www.perhamfocus.com/news/4319421-county-bounces-back-cyberattack
