Police Departments Are Being Targeted By Ransomware Attacks
Ransomware
Cybercriminals target many different types of victims with their online campaigns – from college students to international conglomerates to hospital and school systems and so much more. Recently, it appears that malicious actors online are specifically targeting those who are meant to protect us from crimes in real life space - police departments. Police departments have recently been finding themselves on the receiving end of ransomware attacks.
The Modesto Police Department
The Modesto Police Department in Modesto, California was recently rocked by a ransomware attack which apparently went undetected for three days before being found out. The city’s manager, Joe Lopez, states that there is no active threat, despite a ransomware group having posted on their site that they have the data stolen from the city’s police department. Modesto’s representatives have stated that the breach of the city’s police department network was compromised from January 31, 2023 to February 3, 2023 and a notice was sent to those whose data was impacted by this breach. The city has declined to state whether there is in fact a ransom being demanded and if so, what the amount of said ransom is.
Police departments are targeted for many reasons, including the cybercriminals being provocateurs, trying to taunt the law enforcement employees who deal with the brunt of the fallout from an attack and due to the data held by the departments being personally identifiable information (PII). Some police departments, among other public service areas, also have notoriously outdated cybersecurity measures in place and inadequate training on cyber threats, making them highly targeted by ransomware groups.
The Oakland Police Department
The Modesto Police Department is not the only group of officers recently targeted in a cybersecurity attack. A ransomware attack on the Oakland Police Department was recently reported on February 8, 2023. This attack effectively blocked Oakland citizens from being able to file online police reports with the department; the attack also prevented users from being able to pay their taxes or email city council members with any concerns or questions they had.
The Oakland Police Union has since threatened to sue the city over the attack; representatives for the police union have stated that they have tried to contact city administrators and the mayor to no avail. The officials for the union want to know the direct impacts that the ransomware attack has on the city employees, what actions are being taken to mitigate said effects, and what action, if any, the city plans to take to prevent such an attack from happening again.
