A Phishing attack last month surfaced over the LA County which was immediately contained before any devices got compromised.
The attack was discovered by the staff, last month. The containment of the attack was done by the staff instantaneously before much damage was done.
The hackers were apparently after the county’s residential data.
Per sources, it all began when the Los Angeles County received a phishing email which extended malicious activities. The malicious campaign was aimed at stealing the receiver’s personal data.
The hackers’ plan was to get the recipient to click on the links/attachment in the email. Reportedly, the email had come from a “third-party account”. Allegedly, the distribution list of the third party got leaked and was sent to more than 25 county employees.
Per website sources, The LA County happens to be the most populated area in the US. It has over 35,000 personal computers, 12,000+ cell phones and 800+ government network locations.
According to reports the “Internal Services Department” happens to support the “Countrywide Integrated Radio System” which extends essential services during emergencies.
Most local governments have faced attacks along the same lines including Los Angeles County as well. Per sources, in the Minnesota case where the phishing attack targeted over 100 LA County employees, the personal data including targets’ names, social security numbers, dates of birth, card details and other personal data was compromised.
It is evident that the phishing attack could have taken a gigantic form if it hadn’t been for the prompt skills of the employees and staff of the LA County.
Given that such a humongous number of devices and networks could have been jeopardized this attack must necessarily be taken as a serious warning.
The already existing and well-established security controls of the county also had a lot to contribute to this successful aversion of the accident.
Reportedly, the county’s Chief Executive Officer had taken this incident as quite a forewarning and mentioned that they would work stalwartly towards improving the security provisions and strengthening them.
The overall incident is still under investigation by the county along with help from a few private participants.
