Malware Attack Results In Shutdown of Texas Agency Website

According to Star Telegram, which published its news on December 21, 2010, the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services' (TDADS) website, which received a blow from a malicious program or virus, had to be disconnected from the Internet in the morning of December 21, 2010.

Said the agency, it had to temporarily shutdown the website owing to security reasons although they didn't know what exactly the problem was as also if any information was compromised. Notably, there's a system to report information in the mentioned site with which common people can know the shortages prevailing in nursing homes along with the assisted services for living.

Further, there's a registry within the site that reveals misconduct of employees and qualified nurse aides who've been prohibited from performing any service in nursing homes. Some vital manuals, handbooks, forms, enforcement statistics along with other types of valuable resources are also included in the website.

Stated Cecilia Fedorov, a spokeswoman for the agency, the department was investigating the entire incident in coordination with Health and Human Services Commission as also computer specialists for unearthing the nature of the malware that infected the TDADS's computer server. According to her, everything the server contained was being analyzed for ensuring it was safe enough for getting it back to work. Star Telegram reported this.

In a remark, the specialists said there was a rapid growth in cyber-attacks on government and popular websites for disseminating malware over the recent time, while cyber-criminals found them effective in affecting a huge number of users.

Additionally, they cautioned that hackers were preparing towards getting more refined, while malicious software exploded in volume and activity rather than indicate any decline. Hence, businesses required becoming more aware right now regarding the way in which they could enforce best security practices to keep their websites and customers safe along with their reputation and revenue. Primarily they must regularly check for malware on their websites to ensure that none mentioned was vulnerable to online threats.

Moreover, organizations required spending for Web-monitoring programs as well as focusing on patches and updates pertaining to 3rd-party widgets they had installed.

Related article: Malware Authors Turn More Insidious

» SPAMfighter News - 12/31/2010