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Ransomware Strikes North Carolina Government

Posted: December 7, 2017 to Cybersecurity.

Tags: Ransomware, Malware, Data Breach

We've reported plenty of ransomware cases, yet some people still think it couldn't happen to them. Maybe they'll think otherwise when it strikes closer to home, which is the case as ransomware hits North Carolina government offices. The government of North Carolina's most populous county, Mecklenburg, home to Charlotte, suffered a ransomware attack after an employee opened a malware-tainted attachment in an email, rendering almost 10% of its servers useless. The hacker, who security experts think is from either Iran or Ukraine, was demanding $23,000 to get the county's systems back online. Mecklenburg County decided not to pay the ransom, however, saying they have backups they can use to restore everything. While they expect it will take until the end of the year to get everything back up and running, it's also thought that it would take nearly as long to get everything restored and secured from the hackers, had they chosen to pay the ransom. In the meantime, everything has to be done on paper, from accepting county tax payments to processing criminals, bringing county processes to a crawl. As is usually the case, the whole, expensive and time-consuming mess could have been prevented if the county employee who opened the infected email attachment had known how to spot malware. Click here to make sure your employees don't make the same mistake.

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About the Author

Craig Petronella, CEO and Founder of Petronella Technology Group
CEO, Founder & AI Architect, Petronella Technology Group

Craig Petronella founded Petronella Technology Group in 2002 and has spent more than 30 years working at the intersection of cybersecurity, AI, compliance, and digital forensics. He holds the CMMC Registered Practitioner credential (RP-1372) issued by the Cyber AB, is an NC Licensed Digital Forensics Examiner (License #604180-DFE), and completed MIT Professional Education programs in AI, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity. Craig also holds CompTIA Security+, CCNA, and Hyperledger certifications.

He is an Amazon #1 Best-Selling Author of 15+ books on cybersecurity and compliance, host of the Encrypted Ambition podcast (95+ episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon), and a cybersecurity keynote speaker with 200+ engagements at conferences, law firms, and corporate boardrooms. Craig serves as Contributing Editor for Cybersecurity at NC Triangle Attorney at Law Magazine and is a guest lecturer at NCCU School of Law. He has served as a digital forensics expert witness in federal and state court cases involving cybercrime, cryptocurrency fraud, SIM-swap attacks, and data breaches.

Under his leadership, Petronella Technology Group has served 2,500+ clients, maintained a zero-breach record among compliant clients, earned a BBB A+ rating every year since 2003, and been featured as a cybersecurity authority on CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, and WRAL. The company leverages SOC 2 Type II certified platforms and specializes in AI implementation, managed cybersecurity, CMMC/HIPAA/SOC 2 compliance, and digital forensics for businesses across the United States.

CMMC-RP NC Licensed DFE MIT Certified CompTIA Security+ Expert Witness 15+ Books
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