Letter to the Hon. Christopher Wray, Dir. of the Federal Bureau of Investigations - Schumer reveals: Local schools & govts from Syracuse to Hudson Valley remain under threat of sophisticated ransomware attacks that hold personal info hostage, or even sell it; senator says legislation to beef up enforcement must be passed and FBI must step in to pinpoint culprit ASAP

Letter

Dear Director Wray:

I write regarding recent ransomware attacks that have caused significant disruptions to school districts and local governments in New York.

As you are aware, more than 40 municipalities across the country have reportedly been the victims of ransomware attacks this year alone. In New York, victims of these destructive attacks over the past year have included: the City of Albany, the Monroe-Woodbury Central School District in the Hudson Valley, the Olean Medical Group in Rochester, the Syracuse City School District and Onondaga County Public Library system in Syracuse, the Watertown School District and the Rockville Centre School District in Long Island.

These attacks have successfully crippled access to computer systems, compromised sensitive personal information, and in some cases, led to payment by local governments to hackers in the form of cryptocurrency. The Department of Homeland Security recently described this disturbing trend as a "ransomware outbreak" and as one of the most visible cybersecurity risk playing out across our nation's networks.

In response to this surge, the FBI has increased its efforts to respond to this cybersecurity threat. In addition to tracking incidents through the Internet Crime Complaint Center known as "IC3," the FBI has targeted the criminals perpetrating these attacks from locations in outside the United States, including Eastern Europe. The FBI has also enlisted the assistance of international law enforcement partners to locate the stolen or encrypted data, identify perpetrators, and assist victims in implementing countermeasures to avoid similar incidents in the future.

I am grateful for all the work the FBI continues to do in investigating to and deterring cyber-attacks against our nation, including any assistance to local communities that have been targeted by ransomware. Accordingly, I urge the FBI to make sure its local offices continue to have the resources necessary to investigate and identify the perpetrators behind these ransomware attacks in the New York and help ensure they are brought to justice. After your investigations are complete, I also request a briefing regarding the details of these recent attacks in New York and similar attacks on other municipalities and states, including law enforcement challenges posed by the attackers' use of cryptocurrencies, to better understand what additional funding or authority should be provided by Congress to prevent similar attacks.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Source