The Texas Ransomware Attacks: A Gamechanger for Cybercriminals

Security researchers worry that this weekend’s coordinated attacks on more than 20 Texas governments mark a change in how ransomware attacks will be launched in the future.

Texas officials have been left scrambling after up to 22 Texas entities – the majority of which are local governments – were hit by a coordinated ransomware attack on Friday. So far, these include the cities of Borger and Keene, and Texas officials say the attacks are all connected and carried out by a single threat actor

Further details are slim regarding the ransomware attacks, which began on the morning of Aug. 16 – but what we do know is that the attack is the first of its kind. They were coordinated – as opposed to a hacker targeting a single “opportunity.” Allan Liska , threat intelligence analyst with Recorded Future talks to Threatpost about how last week’s cyberattacks showcase a potential shift in how future ransomware attacks will be launched.

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