County Governments Prime Targets for Hackers

By Gordon Hopkins One of the prime targets of computer hackers are county government systems. That is according to Jefferson County Commissioner Mark Schoenrock, who attended an all-day cybersecurity seminar in Lincoln on Wednesday, April 20 of this year. That seminar was presented by the Nebraska Intergovernmental Risk Management Association (NIRMA).Schoenrock gave a report to his fellow commissioners at a meeting on Tuesday, April 26, “We reviewed a number of different hardware and software tools to help us fight off cybersecurity threats, of which they are tremendously increasing. And we learned last week that one of the prime targets is county government for a number of different reasons. One of the prime targets of these people that are out there trying to do bad things.”RansomwareOne of the most crippling forms of cyberattack is called ransomware.Malware (malicious software) is a computer file or code that can infect a computer system and be used to steal, destroy or alter data. Ransomware is malware that employs encryption to hold computer information for ransom. Once in the system, critical data, applications and files are no longer accessible by the legitimate user. It is called ransomware because a ransom is then demanded by the perpetrators to release the infected systems. The threat is widespread. Schoenrock said, “We read every week in the NACO (Nebraska Association of County Officials) news, you know, there's some county around the country that has been targeted. They're held at ransom, and it presents a tremendous problem. So, it’s a huge threat that's out there.”When asked why he thought county governments in particular are targeted, Schoenrock answered, “Deep pockets.’“So would you say the larger counties with deeper pockets than ours would probably be more of a threat,” asked commissioner Michael Dux. “Unless they think the smaller counties are an easier target.”Schoenrock said, “That could be true, too, because there are some counties that don't have very good cybersecurity.”The Human FactorSchoenrock noted, “I've provided my fellow board members that material from that summit. I think probably the main takeaway from the summit: the most vulnerable part of the cybersecurity team is, of course, the human person sitting at that computer. It’s the most vulnerable part of the chain.”Typically, ransomware and other forms of malware are downloaded via a network connection. People are warned not to open emails, and especially attachments, from unfamiliar email addresses. However, even that is not enough, as sometimes a well-trusted email may be a threat.“We have to be ever vigilant. And just last week,” said Schoenrock. “Both NIRMA and NACO staff members were targeted and someone got into their emails.”Schoenrock added, “Suddenly got into their emails and sent that out to all the county board members across the entire state.”ZoombombingAnother form of cyberattack is likely to simply be about money but can still be very disruptive to government operations.Members of the governing board of Blue Rivers Area Agency on Aging (BRAAA) were holding a meeting via Zoom on March 23, when the call was interrupted by hackers.BRAAA serves southeast Nebraska's elderly community in Jefferson, Gage, Johnson, Nemaha, Otoe, Pawnee, Richardson, and Thayer counties.Zoom is an online teleconferencing platform that has seen a substantial increase in use over the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has also become a regular target of internet hackers. While some attempts to hack Zoom are intended to steal private information or deliver malware, many are simply pranks or attempts to spread bigoted messages and propaganda.These attacks have been dubbed “Zoombombing.”In 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a warning, “The FBI has received multiple reports of conferences being disrupted by pornographic and/or hate images and threatening language.”Victims of these hacks include video conferences and online classrooms.According to Schoenrock, who is also on the BVCAA board, just such a hack occurred during the meeting.Attendees were bombarded with what Schoenrock described as “derogatory” statements and images. He declined to go into detail except to note that at one point a video of Adolph Hitler was played.The attack did not last long.Schoenrock said as soon as they realized what was happening, attendees logged off.The link was re-established and the meeting continued without further interruption.CybersecurityThe county recently underwent a cybersecurity audit and Schoenrock said he is optimistic about the results, “I would have to say, based on the interaction that I have with multiple board members around the state, that we're in a lot better shape than most counties. Our board here has taken this pretty seriously now for a number of years and we've implemented a number of both software and hardware solutions. We've got two excellent IT (Information technology) full-time professionals.”Schoenrock also gave an update on the cybersecurity audit to the Harbine Village Board on Tuesday, May 3, “And so, we have put a lot into those things, hardware software and suitable people to protect our system, because obviously, if we're taken down, we can't provide the citizens the services they deserve.”Schoenrock said, “We've made a lot of progress. It was good to kind of get an external validation. We had a totally independent agency come in and do an audit report on cybersecurity. We've got pretty good report card.”

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