According to sources, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department (a Public Safety organization in California) was hit with a cyber attack. It was first reported on 2023-04-23.
“More than two weeks after the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department was hit with a cyberattack, the department is still working to get all of its systems back online.“
“Multiple sources have told Eyewitness News that the hack likely started after someone clicked a hyperlink that was malicious, and that suddenly encrypted many of the department's systems. “
“The sheriff's department was able to recover the data, but out of precaution they shut down most of its systems, including email, internet and many computers in the department's vehicles just to make sure there were no more security threats. “
“San Bernardino County acknowledged this week that it has paid a $1.1 million ransom to a hacker who uploaded malware to the Sheriff’s Department’s computer system. For weeks, the county said little publicly about the hack, other than to call it a “network disruption.”“
“David Wert, a county spokesman, said the county had anticipated such a computer invasion and had taken out insurance. He said that of the $1.1 million payout, the county’s share was $511,852 and that the insurance company paid the rest. “
“Sheriff Shannon Dicus said Wednesday that the cyberattack did not compromise public safety but workarounds were required for certain tasks. For instance, he said, deputies could not access the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, which can tell deputies when a person is wanted for crimes elsewhere in the country. So deputies would request other agencies check the CLETS records. “
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