The first half of 2019 was filled with operational disruptions, disclosures of personally identifiable or other sensitive information, and financial loss across the industries we monitor: K-12 and higher education and city and county governments.

Ransomware has continued to be a huge problem for local governments and schools. Local governments and K-12 school districts have had their networks shut down for days to weeks at a time. Data breaches were plentiful across all industries. Local governments, K-12 school districts, and higher learning institutions all experienced data breaches that jeopardized PII such as social security numbers, medical records, health insurance information, and financial information. Financial losses included diversion of paychecks and vendor payments, as well as money spent on ransom due to ransomware attacks. It should be noted that every single cyber attack cost the organization time, money, and reputational goodwill.

We post roundups for each sector that we monitor twice a year. Read them here.

Consider your own organization as you read these stories. Security awareness and training is an investment that will enhance your organization’s ability to defend against these attacks, potentially saving you time and money down the road. Contact us: We would love to help you secure your organization from cyber threats.