Cybercriminals demanding ransom to free up parts of New Orleans area sheriff's office computer systems

[ad_1] A global cybercrime group is claiming duty for hacking the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Workplace and holding its tech system for ransom.

Hackers breached the workplace's system about three weeks in the past, based on a supply near the sheriff's workplace, and Louisiana and New Orleans cybersecurity specialists have been within the metropolis making an attempt to resolve the issue.

The supply tells CBS Information the workplace and state are refusing to pay the ransom. There was no phrase on how a lot the group is demanding.

In a submit on the darkish net obtained by the CBS Information Confirmed workforce the group, referred to as Qilin, says it carried out the ransomware assault.

In accordance with screenshots from the group's submit, Qilin hackers have obtained contracts, inmate consumption paperwork and expense info. The data posted up to now does not seem like delicate, and the OSPO stresses that no jail safety operations have been impacted.

The CBS Information Confirmed workforce discovered the overall quantity of the alleged hack is 842 gigabytes — sufficient to carry 42,000 average-sized 20mb pdfs.

The sheriff's workplace says the assault has affected its "DocketMaster" system, which manages inmate transfers to and from jail for courtroom appearances and manages inmate releases on bail.

One girl in New Orleans, who did not need her identify revealed, informed CBS New Orleans affiliate WWL-TV she was pissed off after her husband wasn't launched from jail final week regardless that she paid his bond.

"I've two sons, 4 and 6 (years previous). They miss their dad," she stated. "I did the whole lot on my finish to make sure that he comes dwelling, so I really feel like as soon as the whole lot is paid, the whole lot is completed, it should not be no maintain up."

OPSO officers say they're utilizing a handbook workaround of the DocketMaster system outage.

"Out of an abundance of warning and to make sure continuity of service, OPSO has developed a short lived workaround," a spokesperson wrote in a information launch Monday. "Anybody needing info usually accessed by DocketMaster ought to name Jail Communications at (504) 202-9386 for help."

The supply near the sheriff's workplace stated the assault stems from malware it bought from one other regulation enforcement company by way of electronic mail.

The FBI warned of accelerating malware assaults in March after a media firm was attacked in a similar way.

In accordance with a cybersecurity agency referred to as Recorded Future — cyberattacks exposing vulnerabilities are up 16% this 12 months over final and the bulk contain malware. And an FBI report says about 5.5% of ransomware incidents in 2023 concerned authorities infrastructure.

Extra from CBS Information

Kati Weis

Kati Weis is a Murrow Award-winning reporter for CBS Information based mostly in New Orleans, protecting the Southeast. She beforehand labored as an investigative reporter at CBS Information Colorado of their Denver newsroom.