Ransomware attack victimizes Texan city Del Rio

Del Rio a city in Texas was recently victim of ransomware attack. The incident compelled authorities there to temporarily close down electronic services via the shutdown of servers at the City Hall.

As for subsequently dealing with the problem, the first move was by the Management Information Services (M.I.S) Department of the City which quarantined the ransomware thus requiring every department of the city to go offline as also disallowing staff from logging into their devices.

Previously when such cyber attacks impacted organizations many adopted the other mode for communication so also did Del Rio. The City resorted to social networking websites like Facebook for informing citizens the other available payment options. This meant work had to be through manual means of paper and pen to register transactions even as IT experts contained the ransomware.

Explaining the situation, Digital Security and Operations Manager Mike Bittner at The Media Trust says malicious actors having access to increasing number of malicious programs and exploits are being emboldened for attacking organizations that house abundant valuable consumer data. According to Bittner, the prime targets in such attacks
are government organizations, especially governments of cities. These entities, along with processing plentiful business and citizen databases, implement insufficient security because of their tighter budgets that utterly restrict them from carrying out optimum IT updates. The con artists have undoubtedly made local governments nation-wide, counting 89,000, balance a tight rope so sooner than later they become aware that they have been
hacked, the official contends. Securitytoday.com posted this, January 15, 2019.

Del Rio notified FBI about the attack and the agency forwarded the case to Secret Service. City officials in a press release stated that they were earnestly trying to resolve the problem in the best manner for reinstating the system. They were also urging the public for maintaining patience since request processing at the current time might be slower.

Right now nothing is known about the culprit in the cyber incident, or what malicious software exactly had been used, or still if there's been compromise of any personal information. All these answers Secret Service is trying to get through its ongoing investigation.

» SPAMfighter News - 1/18/2019