Cybercriminals in March launched a ransomware attack against the town of Jupiter, Florida. The cyberattack temporarily disabled many of Jupiter's digital services, according to The Palm Beach Post.
Backups across Jupiter's computer network allowed the town to forgo paying the cyber ransom, the Palm Beach Post reported. Meanwhile, many of Jupiter's online systems impacted by the ransomware attack have been restored, and work continues to restore any systems that are still offline.
A Closer Look at the Jupiter Ransomware Attack
Cybercriminals encrypted files across Jupiter's computer systems on March 21, the Palm Beach Post stated. They used Sodinokibi ransomware to shut down various digital services, including the town's email, utility billing and online payment, services for records requests and recreation programming.
Jupiter's email system is now functioning, and the town's website is fully operational. Online services for town public records inquiries and recreation programming also are available.
Along with last month's ransomware attack, Jupiter previously experienced a Nozelesn ransomware attack in December 2018. During the ransomware attack, cybercriminals encrypted files from Jupiter's internal shared drives and rendered them unusable, the Palm Beach Post noted.
Are US Cities, Towns Prepared for Ransomware Attacks?
In addition to Jupiter, many U.S. cities and towns recently have experienced ransomware attacks, including:
- City of Cartersville, Georgia: Paid a $380,000 ransom to cybercriminals following a May 2019 Ryuk ransomware attack.
- City of New Orleans: Discovered a ransomware attack in December that has caused at least $7 million in financial damage to date.
- City of Pensacola, Florida: Suffered a ransomware attack in December that impacted Pensacola's phones, email and e-commerce services.
MSSPs can help U.S. cities and towns improve their security posture. With support from MSSPs, municipalities can implement backup software, secure their endpoints, networks and cloud environments and leverage cybersecurity best practices to guard against ransomware attacks and other cyber threats.
