City of Laredo Office Recovering from Ransomware

Exploit: Ransomware
People Inc.: Local government organization serving Laredo, Texas
 

Risk to Small Business: 2.111 = Severe: A ransomware virus encrypted the city’s document management system, requiring a total shutdown of the city’s computers. Fire, police, and utility and health departments were the first to be restored, but agencies were required to work offline while authorities cleared each individual computer and were forced to interrupt business processes.

Individual Risk: No personal or employee information was compromised in this attack.

Customers Impacted: Unknown
How it Could Affect Your Customers’ Business: Ransomware attacks on local government and small businesses are on the rise, and everyone needs a response plan in place before an incident occurs. In this case, quick action prevented the virus from spreading deeper into the system, and the city’s ransomware insurance will help defer the costs of a breach. At the same time, many ransomware attacks are initiated by phishing scams, which means that every company should include training on cybersecurity best practices as a part of their ransomware preparedness plan.

Risk Levels:

1 - 1.5 = Extreme Risk
1.51 - 2.49 = Severe Risk
2.5 - 3 = Moderate Risk

*The risk score is calculated using a formula that considers a wide range of factors related to the assessed breach.