California’s 911 services have been disrupted by ransomware amid a series of cyberattacks in the Golden State.
Police and fire 911 emergency dispatch services in parts of Southern California have been disrupted by a DragonForce cyber incident that occurred on June 16.
Cities affected by the ransomware attack include: Manhattan Beach, Culver City, Hermosa Beach and El Segundo, as well as Hawthorne and Gardena, according to the South Bay Regional Public Communications Authority (Parents Association of Children of the Republic of China).
This is breaking news, more updates to come.
A ransomware attack is when dangerous software is used to encrypt files, rendering them unusable until a financial demand is paid.
Ransomware attacks doubled last year as dark web criminals use AI to target hospitals and other facilities to steal patient data and pocket millions.
California 911 services have been disrupted by ransomware amid a series of cyberattacks in the Golden State
The latest hacking incident occurred shortly after the ransomware group attacked Yakult Australia and allegedly stole 95GB of data from the company’s IT systems in Australia and New Zealand.
The group also claimed to have stolen more than 400GB of data from Coca-Cola Singapore.
DragonForce’s largest reported theft was a successful attack on the Ohio Lottery in December 2023, when it stole more than 1.5 million employee and customer records totaling 90 GB of data.
The Ohio Lottery said the attack affected approximately 538,000 people, according to Data breach today.
Meanwhile, an urgent warning has been issued to the 1.46 billion iPhone users after technology experts discovered a new cyber attack targeting Apple IDs.
Malicious actors are using SMS phishing campaigns that send messages claiming to be from Apple and urging users to visit a link to an “important request” about iCloud.
California-based security firm Symantec discovered the attack this month and warned that links lead to fake websites urging users to provide their Apple ID information.
Additionally, a cyberattack wreaked havoc on hospital computer systems in five states, forcing some emergency rooms to close and ambulances to be diverted.
Many primary care services remained closed on August 4, 2023 while security experts worked to determine the scope of the problem and resolve it.
The “data security incident” began Thursday at facilities operated by Prospect Medical Holdings, which is based in California and has hospitals and clinics there and in Texas, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania.
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This comes after the FBI issued a warning that US hospitals are under attack, as a new report found the public health system has been hit harder by cyber incidents than any other sector.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released its latest Internet Crime Report, revealing that nearly 1,200 organizations were affected by ransomware in 2023. Of these, 250 were reported by medical groups, mostly from 16 sectors.
However, experts have warned that attacks on hospitals not only steal patient information, but pose a serious threat to public safety.
Because of these cyberattacks, Americans were prevented from receiving life-saving medications, and in one case, a nine-month-old baby lost its life.
