Computer keyboard (PHOTO: Jackie Johnson)
A hacker group has claimed responsibility for an attack on Madison’s servers Monday night, in response to an officer-involved shooting of a 19-year-old man.
The FBI and state Justice Department investigators have joined Madison Police in investigating the cyber-attack on the city’s computer systems.
A UW-Green Bay expert said it’s difficult to guard against those kinds of cyber threats. David Kieper is the school’s I.T. security officer. He said the attack overwhelmed the city’s server, by bombarding it with information.
Kieper said the only way to prevent such an attack, is to buy more bandwidth, and that’s expensive. He said it’s usually better to wait it out. Madison’s web site was down for a few hours on Monday evening, and officials said temporary interruptions occurred on Madison’s police computers and those affecting other law enforcement and rescue agencies in Dane County.
Similar hackings have taken place in Ferguson, Missouri and other places in the days after high-profile officer-involved shootings.
Kieper said several U.S. banks have been under similar attacks for years. But, he noted, those attacks are constant, and the banks have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars a month, in increased bandwidth costs.
Thanks to WHBY