Police departments big and small have been plagued for years by foreign hackers, but things have taken a dark turn recently with more aggressive ransomware attacks that could put lives in danger.
of the White House. Congress is exploring giving state and local governments grant money to boost their response to ransomware.
Callow, the threat analyst, said he’s counted at least 11 law enforcement agencies affected by ransomware since the beginning of 2020. Officers have been locked out of their computer systems and forced to resort to paper records. Prosecutors in Stuart, Florida, told local media last year they had to drop a case against suspected drug dealers after a local police department’s files were encrypted by a ransomware gang.
“The fact that data of such a sensitive nature was able to be accessed by hackers says a lot about the quality of service elected officials provide this city. What is ironic is that in an era where police officers are targeted by their leaders for alleged misfeasance, it’s really their leaders that are truly unable to perform to standards,” he said.
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