In 2019, the Mahnomen County Sheriff’s Office was hit by a dangerous and destructive malware attack.
The attack originated in another state agency and quickly moved laterally to the sheriff’s office. Once inside the network, the malware moved fast, crippling activities and rapidly jumping from computer to computer. As a result, the 14 full-time deputies who respond to emergencies, handle inbound 911 calls and investigate crime activity couldn’t effectively do their jobs.
The sheriff’s internal IT staff tried to resolve the issue by wiping every machine in the department and rebuilding its servers, but each effort to remove the malware failed. The malware would return as soon as each machine was reconnected to the network. After weeks of effort, the Sheriff’s Office was at a loss. They needed a new cybersecurity solution that would not only stop the current attack and prevent it from impacting critical public safety systems, but one that could also protect against future attacks.
Our latest case study explores how the Mahnomen Sheriff’s Office finally contained the malware, stopped it from spreading to other critical systems, and protected themselves against future zero-day attacks. Read it, here.