Adrian Johnson
TLDR:
Foreign hacker group Rhysida threatens to auction off stolen cyber data from City of Columbus if ransom is not paid. The city is working with cybersecurity experts, FBI, and Homeland Security in the investigation. CEO of Kloud9 IT, Trent Milliron, believes the hackers are Russian and warns of the increasing threat of ransomware attacks.
Full Article:
Less than a month ago, the City of Columbus experienced a cybersecurity incident when a foreign threat actor attempted to disrupt the city’s IT infrastructure. The group, claiming to be Rhysida, located overseas, is threatening to sell off 6 terabytes of stolen data on the dark web for 30 bitcoins (almost $2 million) if ransom is not paid.
Trent Milliron, CEO of Kloud9 IT, highlights the seriousness of cybersecurity attacks, especially targeting city governments that may lack resources for prevention. He suggests that the hackers are likely from Russia, Ukraine, China, or North Korea, with little to no repercussions for their actions.
The City of Columbus is actively working with cybersecurity experts, the FBI, and Homeland Security to investigate the incident. They are also providing Experian credit monitoring services for city employees affected by the breach, offering identity theft restoration and dark web monitoring for 2 years.
Despite efforts to enhance cybersecurity measures, Milliron warns that without stricter regulations and penalties, these types of attacks will continue to occur. As ransomware attacks are on the rise globally, it is essential for organizations and governments to prioritize cybersecurity to protect sensitive data and prevent future breaches.
