Local fire department battling hackers

A local fire department in Massachusetts is battling a cyberattack that crippled its computer systems, an incident similar to the one faced by a police department in another town 30 minutes away.

Experts believe the Salisbury Fire Department was hacked through a phishing email that corrupted its networks.

{mosads}While no ransom demand was found, consultants told local media that it is possible a message from the hackers was deleted in a flood of junk emails received after the intrusion.

It is possible the cyberattacker was also responsible for a virus that hit the Tewksbury Police Department, encrypted all its data and demanded a ransom payment earlier this spring.

The police unit ultimately paid $500 to the attackers, saying they had no other choice. Even the FBI could not break the hackers’ encryption, according to reports.

The virus at the Salisbury Fire Department destroyed computer files and shut down its computerized dispatch center, forcing staff to use pen and paper, the Newbury Port News reported.

Cyber threats against local police and fire departments are growing. Organizations in small communities typically do not expect to be hacked and do not maintain sophisticated security systems.

Then again, as a bevy of recent cases demonstrate, all it takes is for one employee to click on a bad link for networks to be overtaken with malicious software.

The perpetrators of the Tewksbury and Salisbury attacks have not been identified.