New Orleans Hamstrung by Ransomware Attack

The mayor of New Orleans Friday declared a state of emergency after the city detected what is now believed to be a Ryuk ransomware attack. Mayor LaToya Cantrell said the attack closely resembles previous attacks on the state of Louisiana less than a month ago. Louisiana activated its cybersecurity team in mid-November after the state was targeted in an attempted ransomware attack similar to those aimed at government organizations and local school districts during the summer, the newly re-elected Governor John Bel Edwards tweeted at the time. In this latest incident, New Orleans officials began taking systems offline after noticing suspicious activity, including phishing attempts, last Friday at 5 a.m. “The city remains actively involved in recovery efforts related to the cybersecurity incident last Friday and individual agencies and departments will be impacted in various ways,” Cantrell tweeted Sunday evening. Read the full story and Cymulate’s take on the ransomware attack here: