The Minnesota Fidlar eByte: August 2017
Earlier this year, we shared a message with our County Partners via the customer exclusive newsletter, The Voice. The message was about Ohio state auditor Dave Yost who has been directing an initiative to raise awareness on the issue of cybercrime, RansomWare and their effects on local government.
Yost urged offices to “verify first, then trust” the contacts that reach county computer systems and servers. Ransomware is a type of cyberattack that occurs primarily through email correspondence, the message is received from what appears to be a trusted individual or entity. But when the emailed links are clicked or the attachments opened, a malicious virus takes over local data systems and servers which are kept hostage until a ransom is paid to the scammer. [1]
A string of attacks on county government offices in Ohio has officials reconsidering the levels of their cybersecurity and the preparedness of their computer systems in the case of an attack. After an incident in Licking County, Ohio, County Commissioner Tim Bubb stated, “It’s unclear how much the attack and its aftermath will cost the county, but it will probably cost more in the long run than paying the ransom would have.” [2]
Ransomware and cybercriminals are a growing threat to the Official Public Record and the offices that keep it.
Sources
[1] https://ohioauditor.gov/news/pressreleases/Details/3039
[2] http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170207/ransomware-cyberattack-keeps-licking-county-vigilant
