Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: JUNE 2016 27 ers are targeting US law enforcement agencies for ransom. The hackers use “ransom- ware.” These are viruses that seize control of a computer system’s files and lock the rightful owners out. The hackers then hold the valuable data hostage if the victims don’t pay a ransom online with Bitcoins – an untraceable from of digital currency. When victims pay up, the hackers give them a virtual key to get their files back. If the victims, in this case po- lice departments, don’t pay the hackers, they delete the data as threatened. This has happened to agencies all over the coun- try from Alabama to New Hampshire. In fact, in the last three years, police departments have been turned into vic- tims by hackers in no less than seven states. Here’s the kicker. The FBI’s advice for local of- ficials is simple. “To be honest, we often advise people to just pay the ransom,” Joseph Bonavolo- nta, a Boston FBI cyber and counterintelligence special- ist, told a security confer- ence last fall. So are these hackers actu- ally computer wizards? Hardly. Staying secure online costs money – whether you’re an individual or a police department. Hackers simply look for high-value targets with infe- rior cyber-security. “Think about it,” said Robert Siciliano, an online safety expert for Intel Secu- rity. “You have local law en- forcement which gets grants for all kinds of advanced technologies that often re- volve around weaponry. But then when it comes to upgrading their desktops and laptops they may not be up to speed.” “It’s not unheard of to see a Windows XP or Vista still in action in a law enforce- ment environment,” he went on to say. A n d t h a t ’ s where law en- forcement is so outmatched by some 19-year-old kid that can read and write code in his mom’s Roma- nian basement. Cops are a lot of good things, but “technically proficient” ain’t one of them. That’s why it stings so bad when cops become victims. “My initial reaction was ‘No way!” said Sheriff Todd Brackett of Lincoln County, Maine, whose system was frozen last spring told re- porters. “We are cops,” he said with a sigh. “We generally don’t pay ransoms.” He paid up 48 hours after he got the ransom letter. Last year, the FBI logged 2,500 ransomware attack complaints that cost victims $24 million. In the first three months of 2016, ransom- ware attacks cost Americans another $209 million. And here’s the scary part – because authorities are reluctant to even make the fact that they’ve been hacked pub- lic, the figures are probably much, much higher. The only good news is that the hackers frequently ask for figures in the low three or four figure range. That’s why the FBI tells victims just to pay up and be done with it rather than having a law enforcement agency losing all its data to avoid paying $500 in ransom to some kid in Estonia. Your best bet is just paying them Continued from page one Oh, your agency got hacked? Just pay up and save yourself a world of hurt. We’re not much better at this stuff than you guys. Why do you think we paid those contractors to unlock the shooter’s phone? “My initial reaction was, ‘No way!” said Sheriff Todd Brackett of Lincoln County, Maine, whose system was frozen last spring. “We are cops,” he said with a sigh. “We generally don’t pay ransoms.” On the street he’s nothing to worry about. Online he can crash your whole operation. Benefits Include:  Competitive retirement  457(b) retirement savings plan  Health, dental, and vision coverage  Accrued vacation and sick days  Employer-paid family leave  Tuition reimbursement program  Employee home purchase program  Language stipend program  Take-home vehicles  11 paid holidays annually  Overtime pay  Experienced: Abbreviated 11 week Academy MinimumRequirementsattimeofapplication:  Be at least 21 years of age  Be a citizen of the United States  Entry Level: 60 college credits, 2 years of active duty military (honorable discharge), with a full service police agency  Experienced: 3 years of prior police experi- ence with a full-service police department in the United States (within one year of application)  Valid driver’s license IT’S A GREAT TIME TO BE MPD. Start your journey today! APPLY at joinmpd.dc.gov joindcpolice @DCPoliceDept OfficialDCPolice We’reseekingentrylevelandexperiencedofficers! Equal Opportunity Employer © 2016 Metropolitan Police Department