The Valley Chronicle - Municipal services among the top 10 industries the most

A recent report by Nord_x0002_Locker exposes the industries most likely to be targeted by ransomware gangs, munic_x0002_ipalities taking the number nine position Municipal services is the number nine industry hit by ransomware, according to the new desk research by NordLocker. An analysis of 1,200 companies hit by cyber extortion between 2020 and 2021 revealed those parts of the market where ransom_x0002_ware is the most widespread. NordLocker’s research has discovered that, out of 35 identified industries, a great number of ransomware at_x0002_tacks were detected within the municipal services sector.

The 53 institutions affected range from a municipality of a US island city to one of the Mi’kmaq communities in Canada. The findings raise the question: Why do cyber criminals prioritize this par_x0002_ticular economic activity? What makes municipal ser_x0002_vices a lucrative target for ransomware gangs? Municipalities could be en_x0002_ticing to cyber racketeers because of the overwhelm_x0002_ing amount of residential data they get to take hold of. “From contractor agree_x0002_ments to citizens’ Social Se_x0002_curity numbers, municipal institutions process great amounts of data that is usu_x0002_ally time-sensitive,” explains Oliver Noble, a cybersecurity expert at NordLocker, an en_x0002_crypted cloud service provid_x0002_er.“Municipalities can’t risk having their activities put to a standstill, which provides hackers with a good chance of having their ransom de_x0002_mands fulfilled.”

Furthermore, municipal in_x0002_stitutions usually lack digital protection, and their systems might run on outdated soft_x0002_ware due to tight budgets, as demonstrated by the sudden shift to remote working at the beginning of the global pan_x0002_demic. “Hackers look for the weakest link, and unpatched vulnerabilities in an institu_x0002_tion’s system or unsecured Wi-Fi networks don’t usually take long to find,” the expert

notes. How to protect your institu_x0002_tion from ransomware Although ransomware at_x0002_tacks are evolving, Oli_x0002_ver Noble provides some easy-to-implement cyberse_x0002_curity tactics to serve your organization as defense: Make sure your employees use strong and unique pass_x0002_words to connect to your sys_x0002_tems. Better yet, implement multi-factor authentication. Secure your email by training your staff to identify signs of phishing, especially when an email contains attachments and links.

Implement and enforce peri_x0002_odic data backup and resto_x0002_ration processes. An encrypt_x0002_ed cloud might be the most secure solution for this. Adopt zero-trust network access, meaning that every access request to digital re_x0002_sources by a member of staff should be granted only after their identity has been appro_x0002_priately verified.