Cyberattacks in Ohio have disrupted airport flight displays, led to the shutdown of a help line during a winter storm and cut off access to police investigation reports temporarily.
The Buckeye State is fighting back.
Its first volunteer cyber-reservists will be assembled in January, ready to parachute in to get local governments back up and running after computer systems are hacked. The move is among the latest defense plans of local governments across the U.S. as dozens of states and municipalities face cyberattacks this year.
“What we’re seeing is issuers are really increasing cyber-defense investing,” said Orlie Prince, a vice president and senior credit officer at Moody’s Investors Service. “Governments are testing their systems and making sure that they can operate in the event of their attacks. Hacking attempts are constant.”
Louisiana is still recovering from a ransomware attack last week, its most significant cyber-event ever. It’s not alone: At least 91 cyberattacks have targeted municipalities this year, nearly double the amount in all of 2018, according to data collected by cybersecurity researcher Recorded Future. State lawmakers nationally have introduced or…
