911 services in parts of California come under cyber attack

California’s 911 services have been disrupted by ransomware following a series of cyberattacks in the Golden State.

Police and fire department 911 services in parts of Southern California have been disrupted by a DragonForce cyber incident that occurred on June 16.

The cities hit by the ransomware attack include Manhattan Beach, Culver City, Hermosa Beach and El Segundo, as well as Hawthorne and Gardena, the South Bay Regional Authority for Public Communications (SBRPCA).

Ransomware attacks have doubled in the past year as criminals on the dark web use AI to attack hospitals and other institutions, stealing patient data and making millions.

California 911 services disrupted by ransomware amid a series of cyberattacks in the Golden State

The cities hit by the ransomware attack include: Manhattan Beach, Culver City, Hermosa Beach and El Segundo, as well as Hawthorne and Gardena

The latest hacking incident occurred shortly after the ransomware group attacked Yakult Australia, reportedly stealing 95GB of data from the company’s Australian and New Zealand IT systems.

The group also claimed to have stolen over 400GB of data from Coca-Cola Singapore.

DragonForce’s largest reported heist was a successful attack on the Ohio Lottery in December 2023, which saw more than 1.5 million employee and customer credentials stolen, amounting to 90GB of data.

According to the Ohio Lottery, the attack affected approximately 538,000 people. Data Breach Today.

Meanwhile, an urgent warning has been issued to all 1.46 billion iPhone users after technology experts discovered a new cyberattack targeting Apple IDs.

Malicious actors are using SMS phishing campaigns. They send messages that appear to come from Apple, tricking users into clicking on a link that leads to an “important request” about iCloud.

California security firm Symantec discovered the attack this month and warned that the links lead to fake websites urging users to provide their Apple ID details.

In addition, a cyberattack wreaked havoc on hospital computer systems in five states, forcing emergency departments to close and ambulances to be diverted.

The ‘data security incident’ began on August 4, 2023 at facilities operated by Prospect Medical Holdings

About 16 hospitals in five states have been affected, serving about 600,000 patients

Many primary care facilities remained closed on August 4, 2023, as safety experts worked to determine the scope of the problem and resolve it.

The “data security incident” began Thursday at facilities of Prospect Medical Holdings, which is based in California and has hospitals and clinics there, as well as in Texas, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania.

This comes after the FBI warned that US hospitals are under attack, as a new report shows that the public healthcare system has been hit harder by cyber incidents than any other sector.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released its latest cybercrime report, which found that nearly 1,200 organizations will be hit by ransomware in 2023. Of those, 250 were filed by medical groups — the most from 16 industries.

Such cyberattacks have left Americans without access to life-saving medicine. In one case, a nine-month-old baby lost his life.