DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — The city of Huber Heights continues to work against the ransomware attacks that started on Sunday, Nov. 12.
Starting around 8 a.m. on Sunday, dispatchers at the 9-1-1 center in Huber Heights noticed unusual complications in their system. Some city services remain suspended.
Cybersecurity experts say these attacks are common, especially for local governments.
“So, the ransomware operator comes in and encrypts a bunch of files and then tells the organization that in order to get access to your files that you have to pay a certain amount of money,” said Shawn Waldman, CEO of Secure Cyber Defense.
Cyber security experts say this extortion process is becoming more common, especially around the holidays and in a time of war overseas.
Waldman explains that these ransomware attackers look for vulnerabilities in computer networks. They usually target governments, businesses and schools.
“In the case of whether it’s a local government or a business, there’s a possibility that they’ve taken the information and put it on the dark web for sale,” said Waldman.
These experts are also warning people who work from home.
“You take those work devices at home, and you connect to your home Wi-Fi. And if that if that network isn’t secure at your house, you could potentially get infected at your house and then take that into work,” said Waldman.
People should be vigilant with their personal devices. Some people have as many as twelve devices connected to their home Wi-Fi network. Experts say it’s essential to routinely update the cybersecurity on each device within these shared networks.
Waldman says that you should make sure your personal Wi-Fi is password protected and secure.
