Ransomware attacks against local governments and cities are repeatedly making headlines, with crippling results on city operations and budgets.
Last month, the Florida city of Riviera Beach paid hackers $600,000 after being hit by a ransomware attack that downed its computer systems for three weeks. In 2018, several Atlanta city systems were crippled after a ransomware attack extorted the municipality for $51,000. And The city of Baltimore is another recent victim of ransomware, which hit in May and halted some city services like water bills, permits and more, demanding a $76,000 ransom.
Why do cities appear to be a low hanging fruit when it comes to ransomware attacks? What hurdles do state and local governments face when securing their systems and responding to attacks?
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Source: ThreatPost