Ransomware Lessons for City Governments

U.S. towns and cities are being hit hard by ransomware and cyberattacks

A city government's network is a prime target for hackers. Many small towns and cities don't have the tools, personnel, or budget to fight back. And when an attack is successful, who is to blame? Cities like Lake City, Florida have been in the news recently for falling victim to devastating ransomware attacks and the consequences afterwards.

Lake City, Florida's computer network was devastated within hours. Their security and backup defenses were no match for expert hackers and sophisticated spear phishing campaigns. Their budget never extended to cover recommended protection measures that might have saved them hundreds of thousands in ransom money.

Tools to Defend Against Cyberattacks

How do you best protect yourself? How do you prepare so that you can bounce back with minimal damage and minimal loss if the worst happens?

You can protect your critical infrastructure, network, and data, with a full suite of security services. These solutions and tools are ones that you can plan and budget for:

Data Backup: A business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) solution provides off-site and/or cloud backup. This ensures that you have a safe backup that you can restore if your local network and servers are compromised. A good data backup solution is one of the most highly recommended defenses against cyberattacks, especially ransomware. You shouldn't be without one.

Employee Security Training: Ransomware attacks like the one that hit Lake City, Florida were successful because multiple employees were fooled by spear phishing emails. Your employees can be your greatest defense if they are educated and trained to recognize and avoid malicious emails and compromising situations.

Device & Network Monitoring: Don't just rely on a firewall to keep your network safe from threats trying to get in. You can also monitor inside your network for suspicious activity, including employees making mistakes that might open the door for hackers.

Anti-Virus / Anti-Malware / Anti-Spam: Like a firewall, good anti-virus, anti-malware, and anti-spam solutions are essential and the bedrock of any security defense. A strong management and monitoring service will provide these services for not just your desktops but also your servers.

What next?

Interested in taking the next step, so your city isn’t the next victim? Ransomware and other cyberattacks are only going to increase, so don't wait to take action. We’d love to talk to you about the options available and how to design a multi-layered cybersecurity defense for your needs. Contact us today at 888.296.3619 or hello@oxen.tech.[oxenRule side="left"][recent_posts style="default" category="all" columns="3" title_labels="true" order="DESC" orderby="date" posts_per_page="3"]