Tag Archive for: township

Jackson Township hit by digital security ‘incident.’ No personal data accessed


JACKSON TWP. ‒ The township government has been hit by an unspecified computer network “incident” that’s been affecting the function of multiple systems.

Administrator and Law Director Mike Vaccaro said in a prepared statement Friday afternoon that officials are working with external cybersecurity experts to work through the problem. An investigation has also been launched into the matter, which has not resulted in any known access of unauthorized, personal or employee data.

“We will notify affected individuals if the investigation identifies evidence to the contrary,” Vaccaro said via the statement. “Our goals right now are to make sure our network is secure, all devices are clean and to restore our full functionality of data.”

Township officials declined to comment beyond Friday afternoon’s statement, which did not elaborate on the type of incident or provide other details.

Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting computer systems, networks and programs from digital attacks.

Primary township services, such as police, fire and emergency medical (EMS), have not been interrupted, and Jackson employees continue to work regular shifts and hours, Fiscal Officer Randy Gonzalez said earlier Friday.

Police Chief Mark Brink said officers have been answering emergency calls as normal and with no major hiccups.

However the Jackson Police Department is not able to receive and respond to non-emergency email messages, Vaccaro said. Residents with queries are asked to call the police non-emergency phone number, which is 330-834-3963. The non-emergency Fire Department line is 330-834-3953.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation would not confirm an investigation, citing that internal policy prohibits it.

The FBI offers assistance to those who fall victim to cyberattacks to help determine the source and if there is a continuing threat, Susan Licate, public affairs officer for the agency, said.

Victims can report the incident to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, so they can investigate, she added.

“The public should be assured that the FBI takes seriously cyber intrusions that could compromise national security,” Licate said.

Municipalities can be prime targets for cyber attacks

The Ohio Township…

Source…

Saginaw Township schools investigating ransomware attack | News


An investigation is being done about a ransomware attack that happened to Saginaw Township Community Schools.

Saginaw Township Community Schools Superintendent, Bruce Martin knew there might be a problem last Sunday.

“We were starting to get some emails from teachers saying they were having trouble getting into our network,” Martin said.

Turns out the district was the target of a ransomware attack, but Martin said their ability to conduct the business of education wasn’t affected.

“We have a tremendous amount of support from Saginaw Intermediate School District and their tech team, and we were actually able to get everything back online on Monday,” Martin said.

Carl Heiden, President and CEO of Heiden Technology Solutions said these types of attacks are occurring more often.

“About 90 percent of all ransomware attacks, malware, spyware, all those attacks are initiated by a user essentially clicking on a link whether it be in an email or on a website,” Heiden said.

Heiden said the best way to stop the unwanted disruptions is to make sure you always click on a verified link.

“It’s that user education user prevention,” Heiden said. “Essentially if it sounds too good to be true chances are it is.”

Martin said the FBI is investigating what caused the ransomware attack. The district is also trying to determine if any data was compromised.

In the meantime, Martin said the district will review its safeguards to see what can be done to stop these attacks from happening again.

“That’s part of what we’re working on right now and trying to narrow that down and see where our vulnerabilities are because obviously that’s the number one thing we can do to prevent this in the future is to patch up any holes that might be out there,” Martin said.

Source…

FBI, State Police probing cyber hack on Saginaw Township schools


SAGINAW TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WJRT) – Law enforcement agencies are investigating a cyber attack at a mid-Michigan school district.



A computer popup box screen warning of a system being hacked, compromised software enviroment. 3D illustration.


© Provided by Flint-Saginaw-Bay City WJRT
A computer popup box screen warning of a system being hacked, compromised software enviroment. 3D illustration.

Saginaw Township administrators noticed the issue Sunday, and the FBI and the Michigan State Police are investigating.

Loading...

Load Error

“It could have been a whole lot worse, but it certainly has been disruptive in an already disruptive year,’ says district superintendent Bruce Martin.

The coronavirus has been an issue for school districts for the past year and now Saginaw Township Community Schools have been hit by a computer virus.

Its believed hackers deployed ransomware that infected the district’s computer network.

“A lot of teachers went back old school, with books and paper and pencil,” says Martin.

So what is ransomware?

“It’s malware that infects a computer system or network that encrypts a person’s data making it useless to them,” says Matt McLalin of the Michigan State Police Cyber Command Center.

An entity, like a school district, can remove the virus by paying the person or group that has installed the malware money, a ransom. Once they are paid, the hackers provide a “key” in the form of a series of numbers, letters or characters that unlocks the encryption.

But law enforcement doesn’t encourage anyone to pay up.

“You pay them the money, they are just going to use that money to continue to make new malware and infect others,” says McLalin.

Martin is letting investigators deal with the cyber crooks.

“They are communicating almost daily with the hackers to figure out what exactly they want,” says Martin.

Matt McLalin of the Michigan Cyber Command Center says the hackers are tough to catch because they are mostly overseas. Russia is a big player in ransomware attacks.

It’s not clear how the district was hacked. McLalin says to prevent or foil a ransomware attack, never click on an email or website link you are not familiar with.

“Keep good back-ups, obviously, good, regular back-ups where you are regularly backing up your data, and keep them off-line,” he…

Source…

A work force to be reckoned with – Herald News

BOLINGBROOK — Hundreds turned out for a job fair put on by DuPage Township on Wednesday. Held at the Levy Center, the fair featured 30 employers

Read more