Huntley Project Irrigation District (HPID) reported at their January 10 board meeting that they narrowly avoided a total loss of digital records after becoming the target of a ransomware virus.
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that locks a person or agency out of their files until they pay a sum of money to the attacker.
HPID Secretary, Sandra Rush, said the virus surfaced about three weeks prior to the meeting and that the attacker demanded $10,000 to unlock the district’s files. She consulted with a local cybersecurity firm, Haralson Consulting LLC, who advised the district not to pay the ransom because if they did, the attacker would likely just continue to ask for more money.
“The most recent file we could find for QuickBooks was November 6, so I took it and just redid everything from November 6,” said Rush. “Everything is reconciled [and] there were only a couple of files I couldn’t find.”
“And, we’re locked up like Fort Knox in here now,” she added, referring to the extra security measures Haralson set up for the district’s computer systems. She further said the file attached to the ransomware was Read full story here.
