Riviera Beach: North Miami Beach Police Department Hit With Ransomware Attack

North Miami Beach Police Department Hit by $5 Million Ransomware Attack

The North Miami Beach Police Department fell victim to a ransomware attack earlier this week, forcing officers to revert to manual record-keeping as digital systems remain locked. The department confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday, revealing that it had enlisted the FBI, Secret Service, and Miami-Dade Police Department to investigate.

While public safety operations remain unaffected with officers continuing to respond to calls the attack has disrupted access to critical digital records. A source told NBC 6 that attackers demanded a $5 million ransom to restore the encrypted data. The city is also assessing whether personal information of residents, employees, or vendors was compromised.

This incident marks at least the fourth ransomware attack on a Florida municipality in recent years. Lake City and Riviera Beach previously paid ransoms of $460,000 and $600,000, respectively, while Key Biscayne also faced a similar breach. Cybersecurity experts note the growing profitability of such attacks, with hackers increasingly targeting public institutions.

Concerns have been raised about the potential risks to officer safety, as critical data including warrants and criminal histories remains inaccessible. The department had previously addressed vulnerabilities in its systems last November, though the effectiveness of those measures is now under scrutiny. Investigations into the attack are ongoing.

Source: https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/north-miami-beach-police-department-hit-with-ransomware-attack/2189279/

Riviera Beach CRA cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/riviera-beach-cra

"id": "RIV1781269913",
"linkid": "riviera-beach-cra",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "2/2020",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization's existence"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Residents, employees, vendors',
                        'industry': 'Law Enforcement',
                        'location': 'North Miami Beach, Florida, USA',
                        'name': 'North Miami Beach Police Department',
                        'type': 'Government'}],
 'data_breach': {'data_encryption': 'Yes (ransomware encryption)',
                 'personally_identifiable_information': 'Potential',
                 'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
                 'type_of_data_compromised': 'Personal information, warrants, '
                                             'criminal histories'},
 'description': 'The North Miami Beach Police Department fell victim to a '
                'ransomware attack earlier this week, forcing officers to '
                'revert to manual record-keeping as digital systems remain '
                'locked. The attack has disrupted access to critical digital '
                'records, though public safety operations remain unaffected. '
                'Attackers demanded a $5 million ransom to restore the '
                'encrypted data. The city is assessing whether personal '
                'information was compromised.',
 'impact': {'data_compromised': 'Potential compromise of personal information '
                                'of residents, employees, or vendors',
            'identity_theft_risk': 'Potential risk due to possible exposure of '
                                   'personal information',
            'operational_impact': 'Disrupted access to critical digital '
                                  'records; officers reverted to manual '
                                  'record-keeping',
            'systems_affected': 'Digital records system'},
 'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
 'motivation': 'Financial gain',
 'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': 'Previous vulnerabilities addressed '
                                           'in November may not have been '
                                           'fully mitigated'},
 'ransomware': {'data_encryption': 'Yes', 'ransom_demanded': '$5,000,000'},
 'references': [{'source': 'NBC 6'}],
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Public statement confirming the '
                                        'incident',
              'law_enforcement_notified': 'Yes',
              'third_party_assistance': 'FBI, Secret Service, Miami-Dade '
                                        'Police Department'},
 'title': 'North Miami Beach Police Department Hit by $5 Million Ransomware '
          'Attack',
 'type': 'Ransomware'}