Pennsylvania’s Union County is dealing with a ransomware attack that has likely exposed personally identifiable information, mostly related to individuals involved with the county’s law enforcement, courts, and other county business.
Officials say they detected the ransomware on the county’s network on March 13 and immediately launched an investigation, brought in cybersecurity experts to secure the network, and alerted law enforcement.
On March 17, as part of its ongoing investigation, the county determined that the cyber criminals stole certain data that may include Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers.
“We will conduct a thorough review of the contents of the data to establish what information may have been involved, who may have been affected, and where those people reside so that we can provide notice,” the county’s statement said.
When its review is completed, the county will notify affected individuals and offer complimentary credit monitoring services.
Union County is in the central part of the state and has a population of about 42,000. Its county seat is Lewisburg.
Other Municipal Attacks
About a year ago, the Scranton, Pennsylvania school district in Lackawanna County experienced a ransomware attack. The district later reported that the attack cost it $25,000 in ransom fees and about $100,000 for a forensic expert.
In January of last year, Bucks County suffered a ransomware attack on its 911 system but refused to pay any ransom. Instead, the county relied on its own cyber maintenance and backup practices to restore the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) emergency communication system that was temporarily inoperable. The county also brought in some forensic and legal experts.
Even without paying ransom, the attack proved costly. Buck County commissioners approved expenditures of up to $375,000 for cybersecurity and forensic services from CRA International Inc. of Boston; $197,925 for cyber security software from with CDW Government of Illinois; and a $1,000 hourly rate for data breach related legal services from DLA Piper LLP of Philadelphia.
The Pennsylvania court system was able to restore its systems when malicious actors flooded its network with traffic and prevented access for legitimate users last February. According to officials, the attack never compromised any data and did not keep the courts from operating on their normal schedule. The Associated Press reported that court officials or had any communication with the attackers.
Topics Cyber Pennsylvania
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