New Ransomware Guide Helps Improve Public Safety Cyber Resiliency

Across the Nation, public safety organizations are increasingly becoming targets for cybercrimes, such as ransomware attacks. Ransomware applications threaten to erase, lock, or otherwise damage compromised drives and data unless payment is provided. For public safety organizations, any disruptions to mission-critical functions negatively impacts the communities they protect. Malicious actors may specifically target public safety organizations to exploit this urgency and extort victims.

To help improve the resiliency of public safety partners, CISA released the Cyber Risks to Public Safety: Ransomware guide. The guide provides an overview of how ransomware attacks function, potential impacts on emergency response operations, common cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and best practices to help secure public safety networks. The guide also provides reporting resources for organizations experiencing ransomware attacks.

The Cyber Risks to Public Safety: Ransomware guide is now available online at cisa.gov/publication/communications-resiliency. The public safety community can use the guide to evaluate their preparedness for ransomware threats and mitigate vulnerabilities.

For questions about ransomware threats or public safety cybersecurity, please contact PublicSafetyComms@cisa.dhs.gov or visit cisa.gov/safecom/technology for additional resources.