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An IBM Security study found that 60 percent of respondents opposed local governments paying ransomware. Read on to learn more about the implications.  

Government Ransomware

Ransomware attacks are on the rise, and U.S. taxpayers are divided on the issue of who should pay the hackers to recover the data. An IBM Security study surveyed 2,200 U.S. citizens on their understanding of and willingness to fund cybercrime recovery efforts. The respondents also gave their opinion on actions taken by the government to prevent and respond to cyberattacks.

The study found that:

  • 75% of the respondents were concerned about having their personal data held for ransom.
  • About 80% feared the impact of ransomware attacks on U.S. cities.
  • About 60% of U.S. citizens surveyed opposed their local governments using tax dollars to pay the ransom.
  • 60% of respondents preferred their city use tax dollars to fund recovery efforts rather than pay ransom.
  • More than 30% of taxpayers surveyed opposed paying to help emergency services, police departments and schools hit by a cyberattack. In addition, many of those willing to pay would only do so if restoration costs were less than $50,000.
  • About 40% of respondents specifically opposed to providing financial assistance to police departments and public schools.
  • About 90% of taxpayers surveyed supported an increase in federal funding to help local governments improve cybersecurity. In addition, more than 75% of responding citizens supported federal reimbursement to help cities already hit by cyberattacks deal with ongoing recovery efforts.

Can We Stop Cyberattacks?

While there’s no way to eliminate cybercrime completely, preparedness can drastically reduce its incidence. That starts with a collaborative effort from cybersecurity providers, local governments, businesses, and individuals.

Organizations must implement a comprehensive cybersecurity plan that includes recognizing red flags and responding to an attack. The vast majority of cities and businesses hit by attacks failed to take precautions and had no response plan. Understanding how hackers operate and what steps to take to minimize risk is crucial. Helpful precautions include:

  • Choosing strong passwords consisting of lower and uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols
  • Doing research before installing third-party applications
  • Backing up data on an external drive or through a cloud service
  • Keeping operating systems and software up to date
  • Recognizing malicious phishing emails
  • Using multi-factor authentication to access personal accounts

Prevention is the Best Cure

There is a widespread misunderstanding that paying a ransom will restore stolen data. Hackers often take the money without honoring their promise, leaving the victims deeper in the hole. Paying ransoms only guarantees future cyberattacks with higher demands. Even if the hacker agrees to release the data, the victims must still spend time and effort to restore each compromised device and conduct security audits. The high price of ransomware coupled with the untrustworthiness of the hackers make prevention the much better option.

As cybercriminals continue to ramp up attacks on cities and small businesses, cybersecurity is a must. By taking the proper precautions and learning how to recognize signs of malicious activity, individuals and organizations can help thwart hackers and reduce their risk of having their data held for ransom.

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Elizabeth Mitrani
Elizabeth Mitrani
17:23 06 Aug 19
Palindrome Consulting was key in establishing my business and helps me keep it running. They are the consummate... professionals, incredibly knowledgeable and are always available to help. They have gone above and beyond to ensure that I was up and running quickly and that any issues that may arise on my end or dealt with immediately. I highly recommend Palindrome Consulting.read more
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Moshe Rubinstein
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Palindrome Consulting is customer centric. For Palindrome Data Safety is paramount; they keep their and our systems... updated with the newest technologies and are not shy at changing to better alternatives. Their platforms are always running and in the odd case there is an event, their technical team has an awesome response time.read more
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We have been using Palindrome since 2005. They make my company feel like we are #1 all the time. Expert staff are... always available to help all my users all around the country.read more
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Martin Feldman
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As a partner in Fischer & Feldman, P.A. we have utilized Palindrome Consulting as our IT experts for many years. In... addition to keeping our server up and running, they are available to consult on the everchanging cloud and web landscape. We could not function as a successful law firm without their constant care, attention and almost IMMEDIATE RESPONSE TIME.read more
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Palindrome has been my IT company for more than 15 years. We have been through four server and computer replacements... over the years all of which went smoothly. As technology has changed Palindrome has kept us current in their recommendations and are extremely responsive when we run into a software or hardware problem. We have been through hurricanes with Palindrome and felt confident they would have us up and running as quickly as possible and despite the fact we are probably a smaller client, they have treated us as one of their most important clients. I highly recommend Palindrome and have complete confidence in their capabilities and service. They have even gone the extra mile when we wanted to donate our old computers to a children's special needs school and delivered the computers, set them up and provided service for the same. Ilan Sredni is the consummate professional and has surrounded himself with top professionals and skilled technicians.read more
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Palindrome Consulting has proven itself time and time again to be the epitome of professionalism and technical... expertise. They take the time to listen to your needs and then apply their wealth of technical knowledge to create truly innovative and robust solutions. They truly deliver piece of mind.read more
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