North Miami City Hall reopened today with “limited services” after the mayor's personal email account was hacked.
Local cyber security expert Alan Crowetz, CEO of Infostream, says damage can be devastating if someone does get into your email.
Crowetz advises to never give up your password, no matter how urgent the request. And always back up your computer files at the end of the day, or hourly, to be safe.
It’s not clear how the mayor's personal email hack led to a ransomware attack on the city's network or if personal data from residents or city workers was leaked.
Crowetz says it's possible the city is dealing with two threats; the mayor's personal email was hacked, and the city suffered a ransomware attack.
It is against the law for municipalities to pay the ransom in these types of cyber-attacks. Instead, state and federal officials must get involved.