Page 56 - Cyber Warnings

You never know until you rebuild the system completely. Have they done it?

“Although a substantial portion of the data encrypted on the report management server was able
to be restored from backups, there were still approximately 72,000 files affected on the host
computer.

Documents vital to our ongoing investigations, booking documents, records, records of issued
equipment, documents related to current and past prosecutions and other non-replaceable
documents.”
Sheriff Jeff Bledsoe, Dickson County, Tennessee
http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/dickson/2014/11/11/dickson-sheriffs-office-pays-
ransom-cyber-criminals/18868325/

They lack policies, important data should be all kept in backups. Backups should be standard
operating procedure in any police/government office. You don’t run a police department by the
seat of your pants, you check and double check everything that has to do with evidence or
records.

Only half of departments have policies in place to minimize the risk of cyberattacks, according to
a 2013 survey from the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

About the Author

David Balaban is a computer security researcher with over 15 years of experience in malware
analysis and antivirus software evaluation. David runs the Privacy-PC.com project which
presents expert opinions on the contemporary information security matters, including social
engineering, penetration testing, threat intelligence, online privacy and white hat hacking.

As part of his work at Privacy-PC, Mr. Balaban has interviewed such security celebrities as
Dave Kennedy, Jay Jacobs and Robert David Steele to get firsthand perspectives on hot
InfoSec issues.

David has a strong malware troubleshooting background, with the recent focus on ransomware
countermeasures.

https://plus.google.com/+Privacy-pc

https://twitter.com/PrivacyPC

https://www.facebook.com/PrivacyPC

https://www.linkedin.com/company/privacy-pc

56 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine December 2016 Edition
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