HomeMy WebLinkAbout10.30.20 Increased Malware Attacks
From:CountywideNotification
To:Agriculture;Assessor;Auditor;Alpert, Bruce;Bennett, Robin;Clerk of the Board;Connelly, Bill;Cook, Holly;
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Subject:Increased Malware Attacks
Date:Friday, October 30, 2020 9:25:36 AM
Importance:High
Good Morning Everyone –
Yesterday, we learned of several successful malware attacks targeting the healthcare industry. The
FBI believes that the bad actors are going after all government and critical infrastructure. The attack
usually begins with a phishing email that tries to convince you to click on a link. To put it simply,
once the malware has infected our network it has the potential to encrypt our data thereby
preventing services to our community.
What we are doing
We have been monitoring our network and have no known infections at this time. We will continue
to monitor the situation and keep you informed of any new developments.
While we utilize cloud-based malware detection and email hygiene that quickly learns of new threats
and acts swiftly to mitigate infections, no system is 100% effective. We need your help, too!
What you can do to help
For the past 2 years, we have been sending fake phishing campaigns to help test and educate County
employees. The good news is that fewer and fewer employees believe phishing emails when they
receive them. The bad news is that some are still tricked into clicking on phishing links. It only takes
one accidental click to potentially infect our network.
Please take this threat of malware seriously.
Be on your guard about odd or suspicious emails that you receive.
Do not click on any links when you do not recognize the sender.
If you have received a suspicious email or accidentally clicked a link that seems suspicious
please contact our helpdesk at helpdesk@buttecounty.net or 530.552.3222.
Thank you for your effort in defending against this malware attack.
Josh Kincheloe
Assistant Director
Butte County Information Systems
308 Nelson Avenue, Oroville, CA, 95965