Information networks of more than 70 local governments at the level of US states and cities have been subjected to cyberattacks by hackers asking for funds in exchange for restarting the networks this year.
It is reported that "piracy programs for ransom" are applications that spread quickly on computers connected to the target network and control them, so that pirates get money from the party that owns the network in exchange for stopping these applications from working.
According to the "Barracuda Networks" company to secure information networks, the attacks targeting American public institutions increased during the current year, as government institutions were exposed to more than 70 US cities and states for these attacks. The institutions that were exposed to piracy included hospitals, companies and universities, but government institutions have become a primary target for pirates, with data "Barracuda Networks" indicated that two-thirds of the attacks that were discovered during 2019 targeted government networks.
And Cnet.com, a specialist in technology issues, quoted Kevin Latimore, a specialist in combating piracy programs, as saying that "government institutions are always less equipped to confront piracy programs, which makes them an easy target. These institutions are not only attractive because they can pay money, but now they are infiltrating Its network is also easier. "
At the same time, local governments are more willing to pay money to delete piracy programs. After we saw the city of Atlanta spend 2.6 million dollars in order to regain control of its information network after being exposed to piracy, instead of paying 52,000 dollars to pirates, many government officials began Local prefer to pay money to pirates as the least expensive option.
Information network experts believe that the approval of many city and US governments to pay money to pirates instead of spending on the technological means needed to address these attacks encourages pirates to target more government networks, so analysts expect these attacks to continue to increase during the current year if governments continue Pay money to the pirates.
