Albany, NY has been struck with ransomware. New York's capital city is the latest ransomware victim in headlines, just weeks after a new strain of ransomware dubbed LockerGoga, crippled Norsk Hydro, one of the worlds largest aluminum manufacturers (not to be confused with Norsk Titanium in Plattsburgh, NY).
The City of Albany has experienced a ransomware cyber attack. We are currently determining the extent of the compromise. We are committed to keeping you informed and will provide updates as they become available.
— Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan (@MayorSheehan) March 30, 2019
The mayors office in Albany, NY is currently investigating the extent of the attack to determine exactly what information was compromised.
While no updates have been issued since the initial announcement, it is believed that the police department has been impacted by the attack as well.
Gregory McGee, VP of the Albany Police Officers Union took to Facebook where he announced that do not have access to systems dependent on the internet.
As the investigation unfolds, municipalities across the country will be asking themselves, "how can I protect my community from being the next victim?"
Here are three things municipalities can do to stop ransomware:
1. Ditch traditional firewalls for next-gen firewalls.
Your firewall is your first line of defense against cyber attacks. However, it's a 30 year old technology and traditional firewalls aren't up to the task of defending against the latest cyber threats.
(We recommend a Sophos Next-Gen firewall)
2. Have a risk assessment conducted.
A risk assessment is a proactive and affordable way you can help protect your business. Risk assessments identify and remediate weaknesses in your IT security and privacy before they can be exploited.
(Ask about our risk assessment offerings.)
3. Utilize a cloud-based email spam filter.
An effective spam filter stops malware from ever reaching your premise. However, not all filters are the same and some of the most popular ones aren't the most effective. Utilizing Multi-Threat Protection (MTP) is a great way to ensure your systems are secure in the cloud with email and spam protection.
(Schedule a meeting to discuss email filtering for your organization)
No matter where you're located, be it New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Colorado, or anywhere else, we're all neighbors online and everyone is a target today.
A proactive approach to security is the best way to make sure you're not the next ransomware victim making headlines -- with a new ransomware attack being launched every 14 seconds the time to act is now.
Getting infected with ransomware can be scary. If you find yourself the victim of a ransomware attack, reach out to a cybersecurity expert who can guide you on your path to recovery.
Originally published on 04/01/2019
Topic: Ransomware