Oakland Confirms Data Leaked in Ransomware Attack – NBC Bay Area
Oakland Confirms Data Leaked in Ransomware Attack NBC Bay Area
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Oakland Ransomware Attack – NBC Bay Area
Oakland Interim City Administrator G Harold Duffey on Tuesday issued a local state of emergency due to “ongoing impacts” of network outages caused by ransomware, the city announced on Twitter.
The declaration of the emergency will allow the city to expedite its attack on the malicious software.
A ransomware attack occurs when someone encrypts files and demands ransom to decrypt them. The encryption makes the files and the systems that rely on them unusable, according to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Oakland was the victim of a ransomware attack that began Wednesday night, police and city officials said Friday.
The emergency declaration will assist with equipment and materials and the activation of emergency workers as the city seeks to safely restore its systems.
The city’s information technology department is working with law enforcement to determine the scope and severity of the attack.
City officials did not release the amount of ransom the attackers are asking for, nor the extent of the attack.
As of Friday, the attack was not affecting residents’ ability to call 911. Nor has it affected the city’s financial data or fire resources, though at least one city department was unable to file its timecards due to the attack.
The public also can still file crime reports on the city’s website. The city said residents and visitors can expect delays in hearing from city staff and officials.
Because of the attack, the information technology department has taken down impacted computer systems.
“The City is appreciative of the community for their patience as staff across the organization work collaboratively to minimize disruptions and implement workarounds to normal business processes that allow the City to continue delivering services,” tweeted the city of Oakland account on Tuesday evening.
An area of emerging concern to Indian security
Going by the statistics, cyber warfare has turned out to be one of the serious threats to Indian security. It is in fact considered as the “next generation of threats”. Recent cyberattack on the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMs) is a case in point. Reportedly, over 1.9 million cyberattacks were made targeting India’s health sector alone. India has always been among the top five targets of malicious activity on the Internet that ranges from virus, Trojan, malware, identity theft, hacking, cyber stalking, cyber squatting, spamming, email-bombing, email-spoofing, cyber defamation, web defacement, data diddling, web jacking, denial of service attack, key logging and Internet time theft. The threats we face range from individual criminal hackers to organised criminal groups, from terrorist networks to advanced nation states like China and Pakistan. Defending against these threats to our security, prosperity, and personal privacy requires networks that are secure, trustworthy, and resilient. Our digital infrastructure, therefore, is a strategic national asset, and protecting it—while safeguarding privacy and civil liberties—is a national security priority.
The present concern relates to cyberspace turning into “a force multiplier for terrorist networks in India and abroad, driven by the sophisticated use and unlimited access to Internet and computer technology.” Taking advantage of the anonymous nature of the Internet, terrorists use cyberspace for communications, geographic mapping, recruitment, fund raising and, most importantly, intelligence gathering. With increasing vigilance on the traditional channels of communications (such as tracking of e-mails, mobile phones, etc), terrorists have now resorted to using new tactics, for example, not sending e-mails but saving them as drafts in an encrypted manner or even through blogs. Many organised terror groups pitched against India host websites and use fixed Internet sites to communicate with their partners. There have been known incidents in India where terrorists have resorted to several other innovative techniques, such as using bulletin boards and other websites that provide free uploading services,…
Warriors Parade Raises Questions About COVID-19 Safety, Security – NBC Bay Area
More than 100,000 fans are expected to descend on San Francisco Monday to celebrate the NBA champion Golden State Warriors during a victory parade, but that’s raising some questions about COVID-19 safety and security.
The good news is the parade is outdoors, where infectious disease experts have repeatedly said COVID-19 is far less transmissible.
“I think the most concerning part about the parade is not the parade itself, which is generally outdoors,” UCSF infectious disease expert Dr. Peter Chin-Hong said. “It’s the pregame and the postgame, so all the parties that happen before and after, so crowded indoor settings, poor ventilation. Wear your mask.”
Chin-Hong said, so far, there have been no noticeable COVID-19 outbreaks connected to large outdoor events in the region.
For those fans choosing to ride BART into the city, masks are still required in the stations and on the trains.
San Francisco police will be taking steps to make the parade route safe and secure.
People heading to the parade in a cab or a rideshare should be prepared to be dropped off a few blocks away from the route.
Officers do encourage people to be aware of their surroundings.
“We’re going to have a lot of police officers on the footprint and around the venue,” SFPD Officer Robert Rueca said. “Feel free to flag us down, say hi. If you see something suspicious, say something.”