A county in Indiana, USA, has declared a state of emergency after a ransomware attack on local government networks prevented the management of critical services.
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Clay County made the statement after confirming that the incident resulted in the inability to operate the County Courthouse and the County Probation/Community Corrections facilities. The July 11 statement will be in effect for seven days.
Clay County, Indiana, commissioners wrote regarding the ransomware attack: “We, the Board of Commissioners of Clay County, declare that a local emergency exists in the county and that we are now invoking those sections of the Indiana Code applicable to similar circumstances, to be in full force and effect in the county to exercise all necessary emergency powers to protect the life and property of the residents of Clay County and to restore local government with minimal DISRUPTION.”
The statement was issued via the Clay County Emergency Management Agency Facebook page, with the Clay County government website remaining offline.
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All Clay County public offices and employees must cooperate with the Clay County Emergency Management Agency in carrying out emergency laws, regulations, and directives.
citizens are urged to comply with all emergency measures and cooperate with public officials and disaster relief forces in executing emergency plans.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which was first detected on July 9.
However, in a press release issued through Indiana newspaper The Brazil Times on July 10, Clay County Commissioners revealed that a separate ransomware attack by a “cybercrime syndicate ” Russian-linkedhad breached Monroe County, Indiana computer systems the previous week.
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A ransomware attack, such as the one in Indiana County, is a type of malware that cybercriminals use to extort money from individualsor organizations by encrypting their data and demanding a ransom for the decryption key. These attacks can cripple businesses, leading to significant financial losses and operational disruptions. Attackers often provide instructions on how to pay the ransom, usually in cryptocurrency to maintain anonymity, but paying the ransom does not guarantee the recovery of the encrypted data. Therefore, it is vital for organizations to maintain regular data backups, implement strong security measures , and educate employees on cybersecurity best practices to mitigate the risk of ransomware attacks.
Source: infosecurity-magazine
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