Interview with Drew Lentz: Municipal Ransomware attacks in Texas - KURV 710AM

I had the opportunity to speak to our local talk radio audience on AM 710 KURV about the cyber attacks and ransomware threats that rural Texas municipalities have been facing this month (August, 2019).

My take on it:

Texas is not the only state in the union that has a ton of rural cities with little or no IT staff. Unfortunately smaller cities don't usually have budget for Cyber Security experts to be on staff, but that's something that needs to change. Could they be funded to protect the City or Town as part of the Police force? Are they a part of disaster response? Is hiring an MSP enough? Whatever the answers are, it's something that needs to be addressed because everyone who has been involved in security will tell you, this is just the beginning.

REFERENCES

I reference data and information from a few online articles including:

• https://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/texas-towns-recover-but-local-governments-have-little-hope-for-respite-from-ransomware/d/d-id/1335606
• https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/08/while-one-texas-county-shook-off-ransomware-small-cities-took-full-punch/
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/08/20/ransomeware-attacks-are-an-expensive-threat-city-state-governments-wont-ebb-anytime-soon/
• https://www.npr.org/2019/08/20/752695554/23-texas-towns-hit-with-ransomware-attack-in-new-front-of-cyberassault