Security Whitepaper

There’s an old saying that you can’t put toothpaste back in the tube. It simply means that some actions, once taken, can't be undone.

Sadly, many individuals believe that is true about their online privacy, and the copious amount of personal information now accessible about them online. Many organizations with hundreds or thousands of employees feel the same way – it’s too late now to turn back time and retroactively remove that content before it can be weaponized.

But that’s not true.

Data breaches and ransomware attacks are a global threat – but a recent report revealed that American organizations are a favorite target.

According to critical infrastructure security company Dragos, 44% of ransomware attacks last year targeted North American organizations. And every year, the number of breaches goes up, as does the number of victims. In January of 2023, T-Mobile announced that an unidentified malicious intruder breached its network and stole data on 37 million customers, including home addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth.

We believe every judge must have confidence in their personal security, and the safety of their families, as they work to deliver equal justice under the law. But new threats have emerged over the past decade that must be acknowledged, and addressed.

Our CEO, Ron Zayas, has written a whitepaper on this vital issue that offers potentially life-saving information for those who work in our criminal justice system.

Recently, the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Police Department revealed that police personnel files were stolen in a ransomware attack and posted on the dark web. This is not the first such attack against BART personnel; in 2011, hackers released more than 100 officers’ email addresses, passwords and personal data.

That’s going to result in some bad press for a fine organization, but the fact is that no public entity is immune to such attacks. From the largest global entities to the smallest municipal library, hackers can strike anywhere.

We would say ransomware is back in the news, but that would suggest that it ever actually left.

However, two recent incidents that made national news headlines are frightening reminders of how pervasive this threat has become to both private and public sector entities.

It’s not breaking news to report that hackers rank among the poorest excuses for human beings on the planet. But it takes a disaster like a pandemic to reveal how awful they are.

While cities and states cope with the added stress of keeping government services accessible in these challenging times, hackers are taking advantage of their distraction by increasing ransomware attacks – locking out access to vital services until a ransom is paid for their restoration.

Yes, this is one more headache you don’t need. Yes, we can help.

Horror stores about ransomware have been impossible to avoid, because they just keep coming. Every month, it seems another website for a municipality, a school district, a library, a police department or some other public sector entity is invaded by computer code that locks out public officials from the essential services they provide.

Fortunately, there are ways to fight back.