Tag Archive for: texas

UT Health East Texas back on divert status after ransomware attack


On Monday afternoon, UT Health East Texas was placed back on divert status, meaning hospitals are asking local ambulance services to transport patients in need of emergency care to other area hospitals. Visit this article to learn more: https://www.ketk.com/news/local-news/ransomware-attack-causes-ut-health-east-texas-to-go-into-divert-status-parent-company-says/ KETK/FOX51 News covers East Texas, bringing you the latest local stories, weather, sports and lifestyle coverage from the Piney Woods. Keep up with KETK/FOX51 News: https://www.ketk.com/ Download the KETK/FOX51 app: https://www.ketk.com/apps/ Subscribe to KETK/FOX51 News: https://www.youtube.com/@KETK Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KETKnbc and https://www.facebook.com/kfxkfox51

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Harris County, Texas, HHS Provider Hit With Ransomware


(TNS) — Harris County officials had few details to add Thursday morning about the investigation into a recent ransomware attack on the county’s provider for mental health services, saying cybersecurity experts had recommended they not share information.

“As mentioned … we are not able to share further information,” said Nicole Lievsay, a spokeswoman for the Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD. “When we are able, we will share what is available.”

Late Wednesday, officials with the center said it had been the target of a ransomware attack Tuesday and that some employee files had become inaccessible because of encryption.


Investigators were working to determine if any data was compromised in the attack, officials said.

Technology professionals with the center preemptively shut down the network during the attack to prevent its spread, officials said. As a result, some staff have had limited access to their files and there have been delays with patient care.

Center administrators were working with their teams and third-party security response specialists to restore full functionality, officials said. Officials reported the attack to law enforcement but cybersecurity officials recommended not to share more information.

A spokesman for the FBI referred comments about whether the agency was investigating the matter to the county.

©2023 the Houston Chronicle, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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‘The Phantom Hacker’ Torments Residents of El Paso, Texas


(TNS) — El Paso is warning the public of a new scam dubbed “The Phantom Hacker.” Scammers are impersonating technology, banking, and government officials in a complex ruse to convince a typically older victim that foreign hackers have infiltrated their financial account. The scammers then instruct the victim to immediately move their money to an alleged U.S. Government account to “protect” their assets. In reality, there was never any foreign hacker, and the money is now fully controlled by the scammers. Some victims are losing their entire life savings, a press release said.

“These scammers are cold and calculated. They are targeting older members of our community who are particularly mindful of potential risks to their nest eggs. The criminals are using the victims’ own attentiveness against them,” said Special Agent in Charge John S. Morales, in the release. “By educating the public about this alarming new scam, we hope to get ahead of these scammers and prevent any further victimization.”

“The Phantom Hacker” Scam: How It Works


The FBI has observed repeated behavior by criminals involved in “The Phantom Hacker” scam. The ruse is often perpetrated in three major steps:

Step 1 — Tech Support Imposter

In the first step, a scammer posing as customer support representative from a legitimate technology company initiates contact with the victim through a phone call, text, email, or a pop-up window on their computer and instructs the victim to call a number for “assistance.”

Once the victim calls the phone number, a scammer directs the victim to download a software program allowing the scammer remote access to the victim’s computer. The scammer pretends to run a virus scan on the victim’s computer and falsely claims the victim’s computer either has been or is at risk of being hacked.

Next, the scammer requests the victim open their financial accounts to determine whether there have been any unauthorized charges — a tactic to allow the scammer to determine which financial account is most lucrative for targeting. The scammer informs the victim they will receive a call from that financial institution’s fraud department…

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China-Backed Hackers Threaten Texas Military Sites, Utilities


(TNS) — A Chinese government-backed hacker group’s apparent plan to upend utilities and communication systems that power U.S. military bases poses a major threat to Joint Base San Antonio — and potentially to the region’s water and electricity customers.

U.S. officials say the group, called Volt Typhoon, has inserted malware — computer code intended to damage or disrupt networks or to covertly collect information — deep in the systems of numerous water and electric utilities that serve military installations in the United States and abroad.

The aim could be to delay a U.S. military response if China’s People’s Liberation Army invades Taiwan. President Joe Biden has said the U.S. military would intervene if China invaded the island nation.


“I would be most concerned about U.S. assets in the Pacific Rim — in South Korea and Japan,” said John Dickson, a San Antonio-based cybersecurity consultant and former Air Force intelligence officer. “But we are Military City, USA, and a sophisticated reader doesn’t have to do too much to connect the dots.”

San Antonio is flush with military personnel and missions. It’s home to Fort Sam Houston, the largest military medical training installation in the U.S., as well as to JBSA-Randolph and JBSA-Lackland Air Force bases.

Lackland trains the service’s incoming airmen and conducts cyber warfare and intelligence-gathering operations at its Security Hill facility.

The National Security Agency’s Texas Cryptologic Center occupies a sprawling campus on San Antonio’s West Side. The center conducts worldwide signals intelligence and cybersecurity operations. Signals intelligence involves collecting, decoding and interpreting electronic communications.

It’s unclear if the networks of the San Antonio Water System or CPS Energy, both owned by the city of San Antonio, are infected with Volt Typhoon’s malware.

CPS, the largest municipally owned utility in the U.S., has 930,000 electric and 381,000 gas customers. SAWS serves 511,000 water and 456,000 wastewater customers. The two utilities’ service areas encompass Bexar County and small swaths of neighboring counties.

“We will continue to…

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