Hackers Crash New Orleans City Government Systems

New Orleans City Hall was hit by a crippling ransomware attack Friday morning. How bad? "Computers were offline, offices were closed, and city government's website was down," Nola.com wrote.

Feeling déjà Brew? In August, at least 23 government entities in Texas, mostly small towns, were hit by a coordinated ransomware attack. In October, Baltimore decided to earmark $20 million for ransomware insurance (the city was attacked in May).

According to an Emsisoft report released last week, at least 948 government agencies, educational establishments, and healthcare providers have been hit by ransomware attacks so far this year, with estimated losses totaling more than $7.5 billion.

• Ransomware blocks access to device data until the victim pays a fee, usually in crypto.
• And as ransomware has proliferated, so has cyber insurance. But incentives have run amok with insurers pressuring victims to pay attackers, a recent ProPublica investigation revealed.

Next steps in NOLA: The clean-up task force includes city investigators, Louisiana's state police and National Guard, the FBI, and the Secret Service. Someone call Gerard Butler.