Ransomware attacks have hit at least 170 county, city, or state government systems since 2013, and 22 of those attacks occurred in the first half of 2019, according to The U.S. Conference of Mayors. We're checking to see if those malware attack statistics represent U.S. or global figures.
Here's a sampling of ransomware attacks that have hit specific cities, towns and government organizations. Keep checking the list for ongoing updates:
- July 25, 2019: City Power, the electric utility for Johannesburg, South Africa, discloses ransomware attack.
- June 26, 2019: Lake City, Florida agrees to pay ransomware.
- June 20, 2019: Riviera Beach, Florida, discloses ransomware attack and payment.
- May 7, 2019: City of Baltimore hit with ransomware attack.
- April 2019: Cleveland Hopkins International Airport suffered a ransomware attack.
- April 2019: Augusta, Maine, suffered a highly targeted malware attack that froze the city’s entire network and forced the city center to close.
- April 2019: Hackers stole roughly $498,000 from the city of Tallahassee.
- March 2019: Albany, New York, suffered a ransomware attack.
- March 2019: Jackson County, Georgia officials paid cybercriminals $400,000 after a cyberattack shut down the county’s computer systems.
- March 2018: Atlanta, Georgia suffered a major ransomware attack.
- February 2018: Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) employee computers temporarily were shut down due to a SamSam ransomware virus cyberattack.
Amid the continued attacks, The U.S. Conference of Mayors has vowed to no longer pay ransomware demands from hackers. We'll be watching to see if the mayors hold true to that commitment.
