LockBit ransomware group, a notorious player in the world of ransomware attacks, recently leaked data that it stole from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in northeastern Florida. The stolen data included warrants and information on employees. Although the Record did not view the stolen data, cybersecurity experts confirmed the breach. The sheriff’s office spokesperson stated that they had recovered from the attack about two weeks ago.
LockBit had claimed responsibility for the attack on February 27, and they threatened to leak the data by March 20. They eventually removed the sheriff’s office from the attack briefly before reposting it on Tuesday, leaking all the data they stole. The cyberattack took down their finance system and jail networks. The department hired a private IT company to help with the recovery effort. The sheriff’s office spent less than $20,000 on IT and database recovery services.
The attack on Washington County Sheriff’s Office is one of many ransomware attacks on law enforcement agencies. LockBit was responsible for more than half of all ransomware attacks in February, with 129 ransomware attacks tied to the group in February, a 150% spike in the group’s activity compared to January. The ransomware groups continue to target law enforcement agencies, with recent attacks on police departments in Modesto and in Oakland as well as an incident involving the U.S. Marshal Service.
Despite the attack, the sheriff’s office was able to continue serving their community, and they never lost their phone lines, thanks to their communication lines that never went down. Although the department’s app was offline from February 21 until early March, calls for service and communication with officers remained functional as usual.
In conclusion, the LockBit ransomware group has once again demonstrated its capabilities in carrying out cyberattacks against government organizations. In this case, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office fell victim to the group, and the breach led to the loss of valuable data. With the rising number of cyberattacks targeting law enforcement agencies, it’s important to take proactive measures to safeguard systems and data.
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