TECH TALK

Public-sector organization attacks are rising. In April the town of Rockport, Maine, was the victim of ransomware. The hacker got in and locked the computers down so no files could be opened. The assailant demanded $1,200 in bitcoin to unlock the machines.

This frightening scenario is not uncommon. Major cities like Atlanta and numerous small towns have all fallen victim to ransomware. When this happens, offices are forced to spend money on efforts to recover files and upgrade systems.

The Ponemon Institute, an information security research company, estimates 38% of the public entities it samples will suffer a similar attack. That figure is up 7% from last year, and up 18% from 2016 – an alarming trend.

“We’re right at the front end of this,” Marshall Davies told the Wall Street Journal. Davies is the executive director of the Public Risk Management Association of Virginia. According to Davies, hackers are just now coming after public entities after years of striking individuals and private businesses.

How do cyber criminals pick their victims? They don’t target individual cities. Instead, they search for a specific vulnerability they know how to exploit, and strike anywhere they find it.

How can municipalities stay safe? Invest in preventative measures like increased security and back-up systems. Also, consider cybersecurity insurance. Data recovery, system rebuilds, and implementing back up contingencies are expensive. Rockport spent $10,000 to cover the immediate restoration work and another $28,000-30,000 on upgrades to prevent it from happening again. Atlanta faced more than $20 million in costs to replace and rebuild, but Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms reported cybersecurity insurance would cover much of that.

What if it’s too late? Don’t pay the ransom and consult a professional. Many who pay hackers never get access to their files.