Chris Krebs, director of DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, provided the Senate Cybersecurity Caucus with a classified briefing on ransomware attacks, the latest indication of the threat the file-locking malware poses to state and local governments.
In the last few years, poorly secured U.S. businesses, schools, and local governments have lost millions of dollars after ransomware infections. Over 100 public-sector ransomware attacks have been reported in 2019 alone, double the amount in 2018. This classified briefing followed an unprecedented, closed-door summit held by the FBI with the private sector in September that sought new ways of combatting ransomware attacks.