Multiple California agencies are responding to a cybersecurity threat that hit the state’s Department of Finance, state officials confirmed Monday. No state funds have been compromised in the apparent hacking, according to a statement provided by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. The office said it could not provide any more specifics on the investigation as of Monday afternoon. (Video above: Top headlines for Dec. 12, 2022.)The update comes after Russian-affiliated ransomware group Lockbit reportedly claimed the California Department of Finance was one of its latest victims. According to Cybernews, Lockbit has apparently claimed hundreds of high-profile organizations as victims and threatened to leak data if unspecified demands were not met by Dec. 24. California officials did not directly respond to the report Monday morning. The California Department of Finance serves as the chief fiscal policy advisor to the governor for the state’s budget and accounting. The department’s servers and website were back online as of Monday, Brian Ferguson with the governor’s office of emergency services confirmed. Ferguson could not say when exactly the threat was identified, but told KCRA 3 the state responded proactively in the early stages of the issue and worked over the weekend to take control of the situation. State officials said the intrusion was first identified by state and federal security agencies. Digital security and online threat-hunting experts were deployed to assess the extent of the intrusion and to evaluate, contain and mitigate future vulnerabilities, state officials said. The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, also known as CAL OES, said the response effort includes multiple public and private agencies, including the Department of Technology, California Military Department and California Highway Patrol.
Multiple California agencies are responding to a cybersecurity threat that hit the state’s Department of Finance, state officials confirmed Monday.
No state funds have been compromised in the apparent hacking, according to a statement provided by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. The office said it could not provide any more specifics on the investigation as of Monday afternoon.
(Video above: Top headlines for Dec. 12, 2022.)
The update comes after Russian-affiliated ransomware group Lockbit reportedly claimed the California Department of Finance was one of its latest victims.
According to Cybernews, Lockbit has apparently claimed hundreds of high-profile organizations as victims and threatened to leak data if unspecified demands were not met by Dec. 24.
California officials did not directly respond to the report Monday morning.
The California Department of Finance serves as the chief fiscal policy advisor to the governor for the state’s budget and accounting. The department’s servers and website were back online as of Monday, Brian Ferguson with the governor’s office of emergency services confirmed.
Ferguson could not say when exactly the threat was identified, but told KCRA 3 the state responded proactively in the early stages of the issue and worked over the weekend to take control of the situation.
State officials said the intrusion was first identified by state and federal security agencies. Digital security and online threat-hunting experts were deployed to assess the extent of the intrusion and to evaluate, contain and mitigate future vulnerabilities, state officials said.
The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, also known as CAL OES, said the response effort includes multiple public and private agencies, including the Department of Technology, California Military Department and California Highway Patrol.
