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Major Government IT Attack, Don’t Be Next!

Without the proper protection from cyber-criminals, Suffolk County has experienced a catastrophic security breach. On September 8th, 2022, Suffolk County government systems were infiltrated by hackers and left inoperable. The hackers were able to access confidential government information as well as personal individual’s information.

This breach left 911 operators resorting to pen and paper, as all computer systems were compromised. 911 operators could no longer utilize the appropriate technological tools to aid in backup calls, creating a detrimental public safety hazard. After writing down call details, each operator would have to then call dispatch officers to send help. NYPD is assisting with Suffolk County calls at this time.

The hackers have now made this an issue of ransomware and are in pursuit of a reward for the stolen information. They have leaked sensitive documents already in hopes of opening ransom negotiations. There is no telling how sensitive the leaked information will get, as they were able to take over 4TB of data from the county. Individual’s affected fear for their safety due to the confidentiality of the information being shared.

Hacking has also created a safety crisis in schools. On September 6, 2022, Los Angeles Unified School District fell victim to a ransomware attack, leaving students and staff without email access. It is currently unclear the nature of the information that was accessed regarding student files. The FBI and Homeland Security are assisting local authorities in the investigation.

The attack used technology that encrypts data, and it won’t be unlocked until a ransom is paid. At this time a ransom demand has been made, but the amount has not been disclosed. They have not responded to the demand and the school opened as planned. Over 600,000 students and staff were subject to mandated password changes.

With these tragic breaches coming to light, companies across the country are pursuing cybersecurity protection.

Cybersecurity measures are crucial to preventing government entities from mass security breaches such as this. This incident amplifies the criticality of having a Managed Service Provider. A Managed Service Provider (MSP) can customize and manage your system’s security to ensure your information is safe from hackers. In the event of a potential attack, your MSP can address the issue in real time. Even if your company has in house or outsource IT, you should have a third-party company to ensure everything is implemented correctly.

Who will know your system better than the company who implemented it? With secure programs and an around the clock Security Operations Center (SOC), your company’s information will reach a level of defense that most companies are unable to.

At Fisch Solutions, we conduct routine virus scans on client devices and monitor machines for potential threats. We also stress the importance of cyber-threat education. One of the major issues companies run into with cyber-attacks is that their employees don’t know what to look for. We train and regularly test our clients by sending phishing emails to them. We can see when a client falls victim to our test and can address the issue by informing the customer of this dangerous activity.

In the event of a hacker trying to breach one of our client’s systems, Fisch Solutions implements the highest quality of security measures and defense. We use multifactor authentication and follow the NIST cybersecurity framework to optimize our ability to detect and protect. With these preventative solutions, company information is not easily accessible for these criminals.

Fisch Solutions can protect your company from impending security breaches. Please reach out with any additional questions at 845-590-1630 or email at [email protected]. In the meantime, stay safe out there!

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