Ransomware

Bad actors known collectively by that name are staging attacks on targets in more than 70 countries, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the FBI said. The latter advises regular system backups.

Officials were able to take down a server, make repairs and restore service after an attempt to extort money through an attack on the police department’s system. For now, the department is filing paper police reports.

A hack in September continues to present issues around data loss and retrieval, and installation of a different bookkeeping system has been delayed. Officials were unable to determine who was behind the incident.

Artificial intelligence tools can scour the web for information, and school districts post a lot of it online. Experts say the combination can quickly arm bad actors with specifics for more deceptive phishing attacks.

The router maker TP-Link Systems, now based in Irvine, Calif., is no longer affiliated with TP-Link Technologies, the company founded in China in 1996. TP-Link has been subpoenaed by the U.S. Commerce Department.

Forty-eight states took part in a review, but only 22 reached or surpassed recommended minimum system security levels. Results for local governments showed they, too, have room for improvement.

Generative AI, cyber threats, TikTok and phone bans are some of the major issues that impacted ed tech in 2024. In the new year, school boards need to determine how to move forward.

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.