Just last week, Emtrain’s Cybersecurity expert David Brezinski published a blog post about the dangers of cyber-criminals and data breaches. Calling on his extensive experience in information security, David goes so far as to warn us “that it’s not a matter of if, but when,” in regards to harmful cybersecurity breaches.
Well, not a full week after the post went live, a large agency in Emtrain’s hometown of Sacramento, CA fell victim to a high-level cyber attack. Reportedly, hackers attacked the Sacramento Regional Transit system computers this past weekend, erasing data and operational information en masse. The Sacramento Bee has the full story here, ‘Hackers attack Sacramento transit system and demand $8,000 ransom.’
While the SacRT is scrambling to get their systems back online and recover any lost data, it has not yet been made clear whether or not they will be submitting to the demands of $8,000 in Bitcoin currency. In what appears to be some high-level hacking, the attacker left notes for the transit office, claiming to have found loopholes in their system and even mocking SacRT to improve security. And improve they will, if they want to avoid another scare like this.
Though this incident hits close to home for us here at Emtrain, the fact of the matter is: it’s not isolated. Cyber attacks like this happen all over the world every single day. Whether it be through the work of a skilled hacker finding a hole in your firewall, or a stolen laptop containing company passwords and account numbers, everyone is at risk of information breaches. It is crucial that your entire team be on board when it comes to information and technology security, not just your IT department. Securing personal computing devices is a huge part of a comprehensive cybersecurity program, as they account for nearly 30 percent of all harmful data breaches.
Familiarize yourself with this helpful guide to personal device security, then request a free trial of Emtrain’s updated Cybersecurity Online Training Course.