Georgia Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) officials have discovered ransomware on the organization's servers, according to Ars Technica. The ransomware shares characteristics with Ryuk ransomware, which often goes undetected for days or months after an initial infection and identifies and attacks an organization's critical network systems.
Hackers used ransomware to attack AOC servers, and individual court networks were unaffected by the cyberattack, AOC Communications and Outreach Specialist Bruce Shaw told Ars Technica. Furthermore, Georgia courts that use AOC network applications experienced delays due to the ransomware attack.
The Georgia Technology Authority has been notified about the AOC ransomware attack, Shaw indicated. State and federal law enforcement and information security authorities also are providing AOC with recovery support.
Cybercriminals Launch Ransomware Attacks Against Cities, Government Infrastructure
In addition to the Georgia AOC ransomware attack, cybercriminals have increasingly launched ransomware attacks against municipal IT operations, government and transportation systems over the past few months and years.
Examples include:
- June 20, 2019: Riviera Beach, Florida, discloses ransomware attack and payment.
- May 7, 2019: City of Baltimore hit with ransomware attack.
- April 2019: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport suffered a ransomware attack.
- April 2019: Augusta, Maine, suffered a highly targeted malware attack that froze the city's entire network and forced the city center to close.
- April 2019: Hackers stole roughly $498,000 from the city of Tallahassee.
- March 2019: Albany, New York, suffered a ransomware attack.
- March 2019: Jackson County, Georgia officials paid cybercriminals $400,000 after a cyberattack shut down the county's computer systems.
- March 2018: Atlanta, Georgia suffered a major ransomware attack.
- February 2018: Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) employee computers temporarily were shut down due to a SamSam ransomware virus cyberattack.
The UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recently issued a warning about Ryuk ransomware attacks, too. NCSC also has provided organizations with tips to help them combat Ryuk ransomware attacks.
