The city government of Oakland, California was hit by a ransomware attack on February 8th, and its departments can still feel the security breach's ramifications. While the local government didn't give out details about the incident, such as how much money the bad actors are demanding, it said in an announcement that the city had to take its network offline to contain the attack. That has rendered many of Oakland's non-emergency services inaccessible, such as websites that would allow residents to pay parking fines or taxes online. The city's systems meant for processing reports and issuing permits or licenses are offline, as well.
While Oakland previously assured residents that 911 dispatch and fire emergency services weren't affected by the breach, its police department warned people that the attack has delayed response times. It's now encouraging people to file reports online for non-emergency complaints. Oakland also had to close some of its buildings and is now asking people…
2023-02-16 04:23:10
Article from www.engadget.com
On January 28, 2021, the City of Oakland announced a local emergency declaration in light of a recent ransomware attack. The attack, which affected both the City’s network and data systems, is believed to have been carried out by an unidentified hacker.
The attack led to an immediate shutdown of the City’s networks, including applications, databases, and websites. The attack resulted in the disruption of many city services, such as court calendars, license and permit applications, and access to tax information. Additionally, many of the city’s electronic payment processing services were temporarily unavailable.
Since the attack, the City of Oakland has launched an investigation into the source of the attack, and is working with the FBI, the National Security Agency (NSA), and other government agencies to determine the origin of the ransomware. The City is also working with a third-party cybersecurity firm to investigate the incident and restore any data or systems that have been damaged by the attack.
In addition to conducting its own investigation, the City is offering a $50,000 USD reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of those responsible for the attack. Oakland’s mayor warned that the attack could potentially lead to long-term disruption of the city’s services and urged residents to remain vigilant and take the necessary steps to protect their data and computers.
The attack on Oakland’s systems serves as a reminder to all municipalities to regularly update their cyber security policies and procedures in order to ward off widespread attacks in the future. The City of Oakland is taking proactive steps to mitigate the impacts of the attack and ensure that such events do not happen again.