Delaware County in Pennslyvania is currently in the process of dishing out half a million dollars to ransomware operators who took the parts of the local government’s network offline. Last week, the county announced the attack, claiming that it was investigating the ransomware attack and claiming that certain portions of its computer network had been impacted. The county also stated that they were seeking to mediate the issue while investigating the scope and nature of the event.
Now, it seems as though the county decided to pay the ransom demands in order to restore its value systems. However, the county isn’t just battling cyberattacks, its COVID-19 cases have skyrocketed over the past four weeks, overwhelming hospitals and healthcare organizations. Delaware County has experienced a 131% increase in positive COVID-19 tests as well as a 156% increase in hospitalizations. The county’s decision to pay the ransom demands may have also been influenced by its insurance policy, which covers ransomware outages.
Read More: Delaware County Pays $500,000 Ransom After Outages
