U.S. cities and states are falling victim to ransomware and other attacks, which typically target businesses and other organizations, Fox News reports.
Here are three U.S. cities recently affected by cyberattacks.
1. Atlanta. A cyberattack on the city of Atlanta's computer network March 22 encrypted city data — including shutting down its online bill-pay system — that attackers are demanding $51,000 ransom to unlock. The hacking group is believed to have used SamSam, a ransomware variant that generally targets entities with weak security. It took Atlanta officials more than six days to recover only parts of its network, and an investigation is ongoing.
2. Baltimore. Hackers broke into Baltimore's computer-assisted dispatch system, which supports the city's 911 and other emergency calls, March 25. The cyberattack lead to a 17-hour shutdown of the emergency dispatching system, in which officials reverted to manual processes.
3. Denver. Key websites — including denvergov.org and pocketgov.org — stopped working March 28 in what city officials believe to be a software bug. Denver lost access to numerous government computers and phone systems, as well as the text-to-911 system. Similarly, over the last month, the Colorado Department of Transportation was targeted with SamSam ransomware twice.
More articles on cybersecurity:
CNBC: What we suspect about Amazon's move into healthcare
UnitedHealth CEO: Tech will drive value-based care in 10 years
Boeing hit with WannaCry, but says damage is limited: 5 things to know