TechHub: Atlanta Hit with Ransomware, Cyber in Manufacturing and More

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City of Atlanta Hit with Ransomware Cyber Attack

The city of Atlanta was hit with a cyber attack that used ransomware to hold internal computer systems hostage late last week. The attack caused outages on several computer systems, including online bill paying services and some law enforcement data according to CNet.

A ransom note on a computer was discovered stating that all files on affected systems had been encrypted and demanded payment in Bitcoin to decrypt them.

Ransomware is a malicious malware that locks up files until a ransom payment is sent to hackers, it’s gained fame within the last year from the WannaCry and NotPetya attacks that swept through hospitals, banks and governments internationally.

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told CBS News the city is receiving help from the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Microsoft and Cisco Security.

A week after the attack, some services are still tied up. The city is unable to process payments for traffic tickets and water bills.

Download the GrayMatter Cyber Security Guide for Operational Technology to get a comprehensive understanding of security in the OT world including top vulnerabilities. The guide walks you through the first steps in knowing what’s on your network and has specific advice about the assessment process from our top cyber security consultants.

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Digital Transformation Day

We’re kicking off the beginning of Spring with a series of roadshows with GE Digital. Digital Industrial Transformations are critical to the future of manufacturing, energy and utility companies. As the stakes get higher, it’s important to measure and share real results helping companies win.

We’ll be sharing the exclusive, behind-the-scenes details of the digital transformation stories of Joy Global and GE Transportation, while learning how to build cyber into your strategy.

Join us throughout April in Pittsburgh, Orlando and Arlington.

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New Cyber for Manufacturing

The Digital Manufacturing Design and Innovation Institute (DMDII) announced that it’s launched a Cyber Hub for Manufacturing, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense to advance the state-of-the-art in digital manufacturing according to Industry Week.

The hub will serve as a testbed for the creation and adoption of new cyber security technologies to secure manufacturing shop floors across the U.S. It will have a 24,000 square-foot manufacturing floor with wide-range capabilities to test cyber security use cases in a real-world manufacturing environment.

The threat of cyber attacks against the manufacturing sector is growing as manufacturers are connecting more equipment to the internet to compile and analyze data to make better business decisions. Increased connectivity has risen the likelihood of a breach, which would threaten worker safety and product integrity.

“We need to think about securing our manufacturing equipment the way we secure our laptops, and the complexity of this issue means our partners will get there much faster by working together.” DMDII Executive Director Thomas McDermott said.

At the same time, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are only as strong as the weakest link in their supply chains, which are often comprised of dozens of small suppliers. The United States is a prime target — in 2015, nearly half of attacked manufacturers were in the U.S., with Italy in a distant second at one quarter.