According to the Texas Department of Information Resources, twenty-three different towns in Texas were hit by what is being described as a “coordinated” ransomware attack. The attack began on the morning of August 16 and primarily targeted the networks of local governments in the various towns. In response to the attack, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered a “Level 2 Escalated Response” – which is just one level below the highest level of alert. Now, organizations in Texas and across the country are left wondering how to react to this troubling escalation in cybercrime.
Why the Texas Ransomware Attacks are so Concerning
Treating these attacks as a serious emergency for the state of Texas is not an overreaction. Ransomware is designed to completely incapacitate an organization’s IT network until a ransom is paid. In addition to holding the organization captive and forcing them to choose between paying a ransom or suffering an extended period of downtime, ransomware attacks can also permanently damage various hardware components as well.
For several years now, the frequency of ransomware attacks has been steadily increasing. What used to only be a concern for large organizations is now a threat to small businesses and local governments as well. The Texas ransomware attacks, however, mark yet another escalation in cybercrime. These attacks demonstrate a level of coordination and complexity that is extraordinarily concerning. While antivirus and other cybersecurity measures have evolved dramatically over the years, so have cybercriminals and the attacks that they carry out. It’s an ongoing arms race between cybersecurity professionals and cybercriminals, and the ransomware attacks in Texas mark a big leap forward for the latter.
How to Protect Your Organization From Ransomware Attacks
Ransomware attacks are no longer a threat that small to medium-sized businesses and organizations can afford to ignore. As cybercriminals grow capable of launching ransomware attacks simultaneously at dozens of different targets such as what was carried out in Texas, targeting smaller organizations becomes an increasingly profitable opportunity. The fact that smaller organizations often tend to lack the security necessary to thwart such an attack only makes them that much more appealing of a target.
The good news, though, is that it is entirely possible for businesses of all sizes to protect themselves against ransomware attacks and other cyber attacks without having to spend a fortune. At Hi-Tex Solutions, protecting small to medium-sized businesses from cyber attacks is a mission that we take very seriously. We understand that most small to medium-sized businesses lack the internal resources to stop ransomware attacks and other such attacks on their own, and we are happy to assist by providing state-of-the-art cybersecurity services at rates than any organization can afford.
The ransomware attacks in Texas represent a serious escalation in cybercrime at a time when the frequency of cyber attacks was already soaring higher. Now, it is more important than ever for organizations of all sizes to start taking these threats very seriously. If you would like to learn more about how Hi-Tex solutions can protect your organization from devastating attacks such as these, be sure to contact us today and read our article on “Data Backups and Disaster Recovery”.
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