Co-ordinated Ransomware Attack Targets 23 Texas Towns
Twenty-three towns in Texas have been attacked by a 'co-ordinated' ransomware attack.
The affected towns haven't been named, however the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) stated that the attacks began on the morning of Friday, August 16, and "the majority of these entities were smaller local governments." The DIR believes the attacks were from a single threat actor.
Following the incident, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered a "Level 2 Escalated Response", the 2nd highest level of alert, and "deployed cybersecurity experts to affected areas in order to assess damage and help bring local government entities back online."
"The State of Texas systems and networks have not been impacted. It appears all entities that were actually or potentially impacted have been identified and notified. Investigations into the origin of this attack are ongoing" said the DIR, which is being assisted by numerous other agencies, including the Texas Military Department, Department of Homeland Security, and Federal Bureau of Investigation Cyber Division.
The Texas attacks follow a string of others in other US states this year, inlcuding Florida, Maryland, New York and Louisiana. It's not known if any of the Texas jurisdictions have paid the ransom, or whether the cyber criminals involved are responsible for the attacks on other US cities.
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