CYBER ATTACK HITS 23 TEXAS CITIES

The Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) on Aug. 20 announced that 22 local governmental entities across Texas were victims of an Aug. 16 “ransomware attack.” The department said evidence points to a “single threat actor and is the largest ransomware attack so far based on the number of areas affected, according to a cybersecurity analyst who spoke with The New York Times. It may be the largest coordinated ransomware attack on cities to date, that analyst added. It’s unclear whether the computer systems in the affected town had sufficient security measures, or whether they have backups of their data. It’s also unclear if any services were disrupted. It’s also unknown how much money the attacker is demanding to end the attack A host of state and federal agencies are investigating the attack. State of Texas systems and networks were not impacted, according to the DIR. To enhance cybersecurity, the DIR is recommending that public and private organizations: —Keep software patches and antivirus tools up to date; —Create strong unique passwords that are changed regularly; —Enable multi-factor authentication, especially for remote logins; —Modernize legacy systems and ensure software is as current as possible; —Limit the granting of administrative access; and —Perform regular, automated backups and keep the backups segregated. ● The Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) is leading the response to a ransomware attack against entities across Texas. ● On the morning of August 16, 2019, more than 20 entities in Texas reported a ransomware attack. The majority of these entities were smaller local governments. ● Later that morning, the State Operations Center (SOC) was activated. ● The following agencies are supporting this incident: ● Texas Department of Information Resources ● Texas Division of Emergency Management ● Texas Military Department ● The Texas A&M University System’s Security Operations Center/Critical Incident Response Team ● Texas Department of Public Safety ● Computer Information Technology and Electronic Crime (CITEC) Unit ● Cybersecurity ● Intelligence and Counter Terrorism ● Texas Commission of Environmental Quality ● Texas Public Utility Commission ● Department of Homeland Security ● Federal Bureau of Investigation – Cyber ● Federal Emergency Management Agency ● Other Federal cybersecurity partners SUPPORT AND INQUIRIES For additional information and tips for preventing ransomware, contact DIRSecurity@dir.texas.gov.