Tag Archive for: Indianapolis

Deadly stabbing in downtown Indianapolis: IMPD makes quick arrest

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INDIANAPOLIS — A man is behind bars accused of murder following a deadly stabbing in downtown Indianapolis.

Around 1 a.m. along South Illinois Street, police said a dispute between several people ended with one man stabbed to death along the sidewalk.

“This incident that occurred was between people that knew each other. This was not a random act,” said Sgt. Genae Cook with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

Police followed up by using cameras in the area to quickly track down the suspect, 30-year-old Nicholas Radford, to a nearby parking garage where he was arrested. He is being held without bond on a preliminary charge of murder.

Booking photo of Nicholas Radford

“Technology is helping police officers today be able combat crime,” said Cook.

That’s why city leaders point to technology upgrades as one of several strategies for improving public safety in downtown this year.

Earlier this month, Mayor Joe Hogsett highlighted a $3.5 million partnership with Downtown Indy Inc., which will enhance public safety, cleanliness, and homeless outreach efforts in the downtown area, beginning in early 2023.

Public safety investments include increased overtime shifts for IMPD bike patrol officers and a boost to crime-fighting technology, with three new mobile security cameras to be connected to IMPD monitoring software.

In addition, small to mid-sized businesses will be able to take advantage of a grant program aimed at increasing participation in IMPD’s b-link camera system. Currently, IMPD has 128 downtown camera views, which include the b-link program and 22 license plate readers. The grant program is expected to launch in early 2023.

Also beginning in 2023, the Office of Public Health and Safety will pilot the city’s first-ever clinician-led response team downtown. The team will operate 24 hours per day, seven days per week.

The Department of Public Works (Indy DPW) will designate a new, downtown-focused crew for cleanliness and maintenance. Indy DPW will also deploy a new downtown strategy aimed at regular maintenance of alleys, sidewalk power…

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Ransomware attack hits Indianapolis Housing Agency’s Section 8 system

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The Indianapolis Housing Agency, the federal agency responsible for providing housing to low-income tenants in the city, has been battling a cyber-attack for the past three weeks that’s compromised their entire information technology system.

The agency has not released details about the motive or identity of the individuals behind the ransomware attack, which is a type of malicious software often unknowingly downloaded onto computers through methods such as innocuous email attachments. The software prevents users from accessing computer files and systems. It can result in massive disruptions and loss of information.

As the name suggests, ransomware attacks can involve demands for ransom payments in exchange for the system being restored.

Ransomware:What to do if you are hit by an attack

The ransomware attack delayed the Indianapolis Housing Agency’s ability to send out October rent payments to landlords for the federal housing choice voucher program, also known as Section 8, which 8,000 Indianapolis families depend on. Section 8 provides rental assistance to very low-income families, the elderly, and disabled individuals for housing on the private market, and the agency administers the program for Indianapolis.

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Hackers hit health companies, insurers with increasing regularity – Indianapolis Business Journal

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Of all the industries in the country, health care might be the juiciest for cyberhackers. And around central Indiana, institutions large and small are paying the price.

In the past few years, some of the region’s largest health care players—including Indiana University Health, Eskenazi Health and Elevance Health (formerly Anthem Inc.)—have seen patient or customer information compromised by hackers.

So have some of the area’s smaller hospitals, including Hancock Health and Johnson Memorial.

Hospitals, health insurers and medical clinics are loaded with patient and employee data that can be mined for identity and medical theft. Hackers can shut down computer systems for days or weeks, holding hospitals hostage until ransom is paid.

One of the latest attacks became public last month when the Maine Attorney General’s Office disclosed that a software vendor to Indiana University Health and nine other U.S. health systems was attacked.

The vendor, MCG Health, told authorities an “unauthorized party” obtained names, Social Security numbers, medical codes, postal addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, birthdates and gender information for 1.1 million patients of about 10 hospital clients.

IU Health, the largest hospital system in Indiana, said it notified 60,000 patients about the breach, but declined to reveal details or answer further questions.

“Because this is MCG’s data breach, we recommend you contact them for information. They would have specific details relating to the breach,” IU Health said in a brief statement.

MCG, based in Seattle, did not respond to emails and phone calls from IBJ. Multiple class action lawsuits have been filed against the software company, a subsidiary of Hearst Health, in a federal district court in Washington state. The lawsuits allege negligence, invasion of privacy, breach of confidence and violations of consumer protection laws. IU Health and the other hospital systems were not named as defendants.

Nationally, cybersecurity breaches in the health care sector hit an all-time high in 2021, with nearly half of all hospitals in the country reporting an attack, according to a report from cybersecurity…

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