L.A. Courts Owe Public Full Accounting After July Ransomware Attack


The Los Angeles Superior Court has an enormous data and online system that for years remained too vulnerable to hackers. The court began stepping up its monitoring, defenses and response operations less than two years ago, and it belatedly brought on a cybersecurity officer – a standard move for any large organization, public or private – this year.

Six weeks later, the court was hit by a ransomware attack that infected its computer system with damaging software, forcing it to temporarily close. The new security systems spotted the breach early on Friday, July 19, and court personnel who began their workdays early found ransom notes on their devices before 7 a.m. that day. The court remained unavailable to the public until the following Tuesday, and even then, it operated at severely diminished capacity for several more days.

Read more…
Source: Governing


Sign up for our Newsletter


Related:

  • US Offers up to $10 Million for Info on Cyber Attacks in Montenegro

    August 18, 2023

    The US embassy in Montenegro has placed billboards on several locations in the capital Podgorica, offering up to $10 million for information on cyber attacks in Montenegro operated against American interests. The billboards seek information about ransomware attacks on state information systems, interference in elections, or “malicious cyber activities against critical American infrastructure”. Montenegro has been ...

  • China’s Ministry of State Security warns of data security risks after Wuhan Earthquake Monitoring Center cyberattack

    August 16, 2023

    China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) on Wednesday warned of data security risks after recent reports identified US intelligence agencies were behind a cyberattack on Wuhan Earthquake Monitoring Center. A joint investigation team formed by the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center (CVERC) and Chinese cybersecurity company 360 discovered malicious backdoor software that exhibits characteristics of ...

  • China identifies the culprits behind cyberattack on Wuhan Earthquake Monitoring Center

    August 14, 2023

    New progress has been made on an investigation into a cyberattack incident targeting the Wuhan Earthquake Monitoring Center affiliated to the city’s Emergency Management Bureau, after a joint investigation team formed by the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center (CVERC) and Chinese cybersecurity company 360 discovered malicious backdoor software that exhibits characteristics of US intelligence ...

  • Clorox says certain business operations disrupted in cyber attack

    August 14, 2023

    Clorox said on Monday it had taken certain systems offline after unauthorized activity disrupted some business operations. It said it was implementing workarounds for certain offline operations in order to continue servicing its customers and had engaged third-party cybersecurity experts to support its investigation and recovery efforts. Read more… Source: MSN News  

  • Connecticut city loses $6 million in multiple cyber attacks on public school district, manages to recoup half

    August 11, 2023

    The city of New Haven lost more than $6 million in multiple cyberattacks on its public school district earlier this summer and has so far managed to recoup about half of the money, officials announced Thursday. The thefts, which occurred in June and involved hackers impersonating the city’s chief operating officer and private vendors in emails, ...

  • The Road Map To Sino-US Cyber Cooperation Requires Both Nations To Look In The Mirror

    August 11, 2023

    The United States often poses itself as a champion of international cybersecurity despite its extensive record of transgressions in the realm of cyber-attacks and surveillance, according to which some would even proclaim the nation a global adversary. Concurrently, China’s involvement in intentional cyber-attacks targeting vital American infrastructure and cyberspace remains increasingly prominent. Read more… Source: Forbes