BEDFORD – Emergency Management Director Valerie Luchauer warned the commissioners about cyber attacks.
“Five counties around us have been attacked in the last 60 days,” she added. “We have reviewed our procedures and security measures and are in good shape. Department heads and employees have been warned to be careful when opening or downloading information.”
After recent ransomware attacks, Monroe County and Clay County lost many government services in July. Ransomware blocks access to a victim’s files, essentially holding them hostage.
Monroe County IT staff recognized unauthorized access to the network on June 30th. As part of the security response, they shut down government servers, which forced the court system to close and temporarily shut down other services. The county treasurer and auditor froze their bank accounts, which meant vendors had to wait to be paid.
Monroe County officials say cybercrime syndicate BlackSuit pulled off the attack. The Russia-based group has a history of attacking local governments and critical infrastructure. Officials immediately reported the incident to the Indiana Office of Technology as required by state law.
Lawrence County has plans in case of these events, but employees are asked to stay vigilant.
