House File 2461, which passed the Iowa House unanimously March 2, would make the development and deployment of ransomware illegal in Iowa except in cases of testing or research. The bill defines ransomware as “a computer or data contaminant, encryption or lock that is placed or introduced into a computer, computer network or computer system that restricts access by an authorized individual” in a way that results in the perpetrator
ransomware
December 23, 2021
Log4j stands to be ‘a breach like no other’
Millions of devices are vulnerable to cyberthreats due to a bug in the software tool known as Log4j. The flaw was made public two weeks ago on Dec. 9, and allows hackers to remotely execute code on an organization’s systems, giving them an open door to steal data, mine cryptocurrency or launch ransomware attacks. Log4j is a free, open-source logging library used by companies around the world and across many
December 16, 2021
Virginia’s Legislature is first to suffer ransomware attack
The information technology agency serving the Virginia Legislature was hit by a ransomware attack Friday that has caused significant damage, the Associated Press reports. The malware damaged “all of the agency’s internal servers, including those for bill drafting, the budget system and the General Assembly voicemail system,” according to an email from the executive director of the agency, Dave Burhop. A ransom note was left, but it did not specify an amount
October 21, 2021
Sinclair Broadcast Group sees weekend ransomware attack
Sinclair Broadcast Group said Monday that a ransomware attack disabled multiple servers and workstations and resulted in stolen data. The parent company for 185 U.S. television stations, including KDSM-TV in Des Moines, said in a release that what data was taken and the full extent of the attack is unknown, but law enforcement and U.S. government agencies were notified. The attack happened on Saturday and Sinclair identified the ransomware in
September 30, 2021
Q&A with Secure Iowa keynote speaker Dustin Carmack
Ahead of the Secure Iowa Conference in West Des Moines on Oct. 6, the Business Record spoke with the event’s keynote speaker Dustin Carmack, a technology fellow at the Heritage Foundation, about the changing cybersecurity landscape, the need for better information sharing between the public and private sectors, and how the state of Iowa and its businesses can better prepare for the possibility of a breach. From ransomware attacks focused on gathering
September 23, 2021
Iowa-based grain cooperative struck by ransomware attack
Ransomware group BlackMatter is demanding $5.9 million from New Cooperative Inc., a Fort Dodge-based grain cooperative, following a ransomware attack around Sept. 17, Bloomberg reports. It is unclear how extensive the damage to New Cooperative’s systems is, but a post on BlackMatter’s website said the group stole financial information, human resources data, research and development information and source code for the cooperative’s “SoilMap” product. “New Cooperative recently identified a cybersecurity incident that
June 16, 2021
Denson: DMACC ransomware response ‘like hand-to-hand combat’
When the network alarms tipped off staff in the late hours between June 1 and 2 at Des Moines Area Community College, the information technology department’s quick actions might have prevented an overseas ransomware attack from diving any deeper into the network servers. “When we talked to the FBI, they said it was pretty much like hand-to-hand combat,” DMACC President Rob Denson told the Business Record. “We were in at
September 17, 2020
UnityPoint Health fourth Iowa entity to be affected in Blackbaud ransomware attack
More than 27,000 people have been contacted after UnityPoint Health was affected by a ransomware attack against third-party vendor Blackbaud, a cloud-based provider of fundraising and finance services for education and nonprofit entities, reports KCCI. The attack, which took place between Feb. 7-May 20, impacted patients and donors within the St. Luke’s Foundation in Sioux City, Trinity Health Foundation in the Quad Cities and Des Moines Foundation in Des Moines.
August 18, 2020
STEM council one of three Iowa entities notified by Blackbaud of ransomware attack
The Governor’s STEM Advisory Council has confirmed it was a customer of a financial services contractor targeted in a massive international ransomware attack earlier this year, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported. The council is one of three confirmed Iowa customers of Blackbaud, a cloud-based provider of fundraising and finance services for education and nonprofit entities; the Iowa State Foundation and Living History Farms were also notified earlier this summer of
August 6, 2020
International Blackbaud ransomware attack affects Iowa nonprofits
A third-party service provider for at least two Iowa nonprofits experienced a massive ransomware attack, affecting more than 20 universities and nonprofits in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada. Blackbaud, an international provider of cloud-based fundraising and finance services, notified the Iowa State University Foundation on July 16 that a data breach between Feb. 7 and May 20 may have accessed or removed donor information stored by the ISU Foundation,
