One hack made a county’s emails unreadable. Another disabled a city’s 311 help line amid a snowstorm.
At least three local governments in Ohio and the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport have all been hit with ransomware attacks in the last year alone.
The next time hackers go after a local government in Ohio, however, the state will have a new weapon to deploy: the Ohio Cyber Reserve.
Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill into law Friday that establishes a volunteer “cyber reserve” of computer and information technology experts who will be able to assist local governments in the face of a ransomware or cybersecurity attacks.
The reserve will consist of five teams of 10 people spread throughout the state who will be vetted and trained to respond to cybersecurity emergencies affecting local governments. The response will be similar to the way the Ohio National Guard is placed on active duty during a natural disaster, said Maj. Gen. John C. Harris Jr., the Ohio Adjutant General who oversees the state’s National Guard.
“This is a persistent threat, and we have to continuously evolve our approach to protecting our critical infrastructure when it comes to cyber,” Harris said during Friday’s bill signing at the statehouse in Columbus.
Cyberattacks on local governments have become increasingly common, and experts have warned that ransom payments< ..
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