Louisiana Governor Declares State Emergency After Local Ransomware Outbreak

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has activated a state-wide state of emergency in response to a wave of ransomware infections that have hit multiple school districts. ZDNet reports: The ransomware infections took place this week and have impacted the school districts of three North Louisiana parishes — Sabine, Morehouse, and Ouachita. IT networks are down at all three school districts, and files have been encrypted and are inaccessible, local media outlets are reporting. By signing the Emergency Declaration, the Louisiana governor is making available state resources to impacted schools. This includes assistance from cybersecurity experts from the Louisiana National Guard, Louisiana State Police, the Office of Technology Services, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), and others. State officials hope that additional IT expertise will speed up the recovery process so schools can resume their activity and preparations for the upcoming school year. Earlier today, some residents of Johannesburg have been left without electricity after a ransomware infection.