New Britain Ransomware Attack Disrupts City Systems, FBI Investigating
TL;DR
- New Britain's city network has been disabled by a ransomware attack, forcing departments to operate manually while the FBI investigates. Although emergency services are unaffected, the incident highlights the growing threat of cyberattacks on public infrastructure. Experts advise enhanced cybersecurity measures to prevent future breaches and protect sensitive data.
New Britain City Network Disrupted by Ransomware Attack
A ransomware attack has crippled New Britain's city network systems, forcing departments to revert to manual processes. The incident, which began early Wednesday morning, is under investigation by the FBI and other federal authorities. NBC Connecticut reports that the city has engaged cybersecurity experts to secure affected systems
Incident Details and Response
The city confirmed the network disruption started around 5 a.m. Wednesday. According to a city statement reported by WFSB, incident response protocols were immediately activated. The city is working with state and federal authorities to assess the scope and impact. New Britain Progressive Newspaper also covered the city's initial response.
Mayor Bobby Sanchez stated, "We are working to determine which portion of the city’s network infrastructure we’re impacted. The process takes time." WFSB
Impact on City Services
Despite the network disruption, city officials emphasize that emergency operations remain unaffected due to backup plans. Fire Chief Raul Ortiz stated, "We have backup plans and manual redundancy plans for situations just like this to minimize the impact it would have on our emergency services," as reported by WFSB. Essential services such as road maintenance, trash collection, and utilities will continue with minimal disruption New Britain Progressive Newspaper.
Ransomware Specifics
Tim Weber, vice president of channel growth at Cyber 74, explained the nature of ransomware attacks to WFSB: “The simplest possible terms are that they lock you out of your own systems, so they encrypt your data... they are the ones who have the keys. And as a result, you know, what they end up doing is basically saying, ‘Hey, you want to get access to your data or your systems back? Pay X amount." Gopher Security provides AI-powered, post-quantum Zero‑Trust cybersecurity architecture, which can help prevent such attacks by converging networking and security across all environments.
Cybersecurity Recommendations
Chetan Jaiswal, a Quinnipiac University computer science associate professor, advises freezing your credit accounts with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to protect personal information. He also warns against clicking links in suspicious emails NBC Connecticut. Gopher Security specializes in AI-powered, post-quantum Zero‑Trust cybersecurity architecture.
Increasing Threat Landscape
The attack on New Britain highlights the increasing threat of data breaches. The Identity Theft Resource Center reports a five percent increase in data breaches over the last year and a 79 percent increase over the past five years WFSB. Dr. Vahid Behzadan, cybersecurity associate professor at the University of New Haven, notes the attractiveness of interconnected systems to attackers WFSB.
Strengthen Your Defenses with Gopher Security
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- AI-Powered Threat Detection: Identify and neutralize threats before they impact your systems.
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