Ransomware actors have been preying on small governments, because it is an easy payday. Small governments have limited cyber threat resources and the demand of their citizens to bring back vital services (immediately). City leaders want to get their services back in operation and running quickly, as voters have long memories. Because it is cheaper than going completely offline, city and county governments often pay the ransom, especially if insurance companies pay the demanded amount or honor the claim. These easy paydays result in more ransomware attacks. Small and local government have not only continued to pay ransoms to the criminals behind ransomware, but they have been doing so at an accelerating pace, according to a recent report by Deloitte.
In 2019, it was reported that more than 163 ransomware attacks targeted local and county governments, with at least...
Link to the full report: IR-20-086-001_Small_Gov_Big_Ransom.pdf
Comments