Ransomware

2024 was a year with growing ransomware attacks, accelerating use of artificial intelligence (for good and evil), more deepfakes in online fraud and election threats being overstated, but Donald Trump becoming president-elect (again) is the top 2024 cyber story.

An expert offers insights on how government agencies, frequent targets online, can safeguard critical infrastructure and future-proof their cybersecurity. Also under consideration: artificial intelligence’s dual role in security.

A private liberal arts college in Maryland may have to reimburse thousands of people up to $5,000 in “extraordinary losses" after it failed to notify victims of a cyber attack for almost 250 days.

The health payment processing company, one of the largest in the world, was hit in February by a ransomware attack that is considered to be the largest health-care data breach in history. Medical billing services have now been restored.

The Houston Housing Authority was the victim of a ransomware attack on Sept. 22, the agency said in a press release, declining to comment on what info was being held or how much was being demanded.

Significant cyber events from the year, like the CrowdStrike incident, tell us which critical infrastructure sectors are most at risk. What are governments doing to prepare for the new year?

Given the surge of ransomware attacks and increasing costs of payments to unlock stolen data in 2024, some states have banned public ransomware payments. But experts are divided on whether it's the right move.

Officials at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport have said they will not pay the ransom, which is worth about $6 million. How much information was illegally accessed, and what kind, is still unclear.

This year the Los Angeles Superior Court was hit by a ransomware attack that infected its computer system with damaging software, forcing it to temporarily close.

One state lawmaker in Michigan is calling for heightened penalties for ransomware attacks that affect hospital systems after an attack last week impacted the McLaren hospital system.

Ransomware attacks against the health-care sector put lives at risk — and they’re getting worse. But federal authorities are providing free cybersecurity resources to foster systemwide change.

Some ransomware actors aren’t just stealing data and encrypting files — they’re also searching for damaging information, threatening violence and trying other techniques to amp up pressure on victims.

The state’s second most populous county has created the force after a roundtable discussion by county IT leaders last week. The move is in response to the general ramping up of cyberattacks.

A federal grand jury has indicted a North Korean national for his part in an alleged hacking and extortion conspiracy that targeted a Kansas hospital, NASA, U.S. Air Force bases and health-care entities from Colorado to Florida.

Several recently released cyber industry reports show steady or growing ransomware numbers in 2024 so far, and impacts on business and government have never been greater.

More than 200,000 people nationwide had their Social Security numbers, medical information, health insurance details and other data exposed during a Dallas County ransomware attack last fall.

The local government declared a “local disaster emergency” due to a “significant disruption in services as a result of a criminal ransomware attack.” This follows disruptions to the county courthouse and probation/community corrections.

All Clay County Courthouse offices and the Clay County Health Department are closed as of 2 p.m. Tuesday, and they will remain closed Wednesday as officials evaluate the developing situation there.