Fort Lauderdale Fla. — June 19, 2019 – A Florida city agreed to pay $600,000 in ransom to hackers who took over its computer system, the latest in thousands of attacks worldwide aimed at extorting money from governments and businesses, according to CBS news
The Riviera Beach City Council voted unanimously this week to pay the hackers’ demands, believing the Palm Beach suburb had no choice if it wanted to retrieve its records, which the hackers encrypted. The hackers apparently got into the city’s system when an employee clicked on an email link that allowed them to upload malware.
“Phishing emails often appear as though they have been sent from a legitimate organization or someone known to the victim and entice the user to click on a malicious link or open a malicious attachment.”
Companies can spend thousands on new computer systems, fire walls and cyber security, but if their employees click on an email, it may not matter.
Start at the beginning. Train your employees on how to recognize possible attacks. Go to https://www.hsl.ca/security-awareness-seminar/