There has been a new event in the ransomware domain. A ransomware attack has crippled a server of the Indiana National Guard. The server stored personal information of military and civilian officials.
The exact type of ransomware and the ransom demand has not been made public till now. Because of the attack, the administrators were unable to use their servers. David Bursten, the Indiana State Police Captain, explained that the attack has not compromised the contents stored in the server and has so far only locked access to the files.
Bursten further stated that irrespective of the severity of the attack, the actual matter-at-hand was the well-being of the officials whose information had been affected in the attack. Thus, in order to warn them, warnings were sent to these officials. They have been cautioned to remain attentive about any dubious activity arising from their identity information.
Likewise, efforts are being made to improve the ransomware removal and recovery processes as well as ensure that the department strays clear of such attacks in the future by reforming its cyber defense and effectively engaging in ransomware removal and detection.
The attack was originally founded on 18th October when the department public announced it and stated that a non-military server was hacked by the ransomware campaign. The department explained that the server stored PII (personal identifiable information) of a number of its officials.
According to officials from the National Guard, initial investigations do not associate the attack as a planned affair. In fact, daily local and state governments are increasingly experiencing a rise of ransomware campaigns.
Early this year, Atlanta and Baltimore were wrecked by ransomware. While Atlanta’s attack hampered police investigations –– the department lost dash cam footages that could have proved consequential in criminal proceedings –– the Baltimore attack affected public safety services. More recently, West Haven City Hall has shouldered the brunt of the wrath of ransomware.
