County Government Reportedly Paid $1 Million to Cyber Extortion Group

A small county government in Ohio is believed to have paid $1 million to a cyber extortion group. The payment was reportedly made to prevent the group from releasing sensitive data that had been stolen. The extortion group had threatened to make the data public if their demands were not met. The county government's decision to pay the ransom may have prevented a potentially damaging release of sensitive information. The incident highlights the risks faced by government entities from cyber extortion attacks.