In separate incidents, two local governments in the US were hit by ransomware in recent weeks. On April 22, Potter County, Texas experienced a ransomware attack shut down its entire network, forcing employees to perform their tasks using pencil and paper. While the effects of the infection only became noticeable in April, threat actors probably compromised the county’s systems as early as January. The county was only able to restore some of its systems last week.
This week, Baltimore City Hall, Maryland also suffered a ransomware infection, prompting it to shut down most of its servers “[o]ut of an abundance of precaution,” while it investigates the attack. However, the city’s essential services remain operational.
Over the past year, local governments have regularly been targeted in ransomware attacks. Recent incidents in the City of Stuart, Florida and Jackson County, Georgia both involved Ryuk ransomware.
Read more: Local Authorities in Texas and Maryland Hit by Ransomware
