A ransomware attack against Hall County in Georgia was publicly disclosed on October 7th, affecting “critical systems,” including the phone and email services. A voter signature database and precinct map hosted on the county website were also affected, though officials say the voting process for citizens has not been impacted due to the attack. The incident is not currently believed to have been targeting election infrastructure, though few details have been given due to an ongoing investigation.
Analyst Notes
The cyberattack on Hall County is just one of several recent ransomware incidents to happen in recent weeks. Now more than ever it is important to stay vigilant when clicking on links or opening attachments in emails. Phishing remains one of the most common vectors for infection, along with Remote Desktop (RDP) and unpatched servers that are directly accessible over the Internet. Binary Defense highly recommends any organization provides employees with regular security awareness training focused on phishing. The benefits could far outweigh the costs of responding to an infection.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/22/tech/ransomware-election-georgia/index.html
https://www.hallcounty.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=829
