Question

6 in 2022, the government of suffolk county, new york, learned a cyber attack had occurred, which impacted the online systems of over 20 county agencies, including essential services, such as police departments, social services, and county clerks offices. how was the cyber attack discovered?

brute force
forceware
antivirus software
dark web
spyware
total network shutdown

Explanation:

Analyze the question context

The question asks how the 2022 cyber attack on the government of Suffolk County, New York, was discovered. The attack impacted online systems of over 20 county agencies, including police departments, social services, and county clerk's offices.

Evaluate the multiple-choice options

The visible options on the right side of the screen are:

• Antivirus software
• Dark web
• Spyware
• Total network shutdown

Identify the historical fact of the incident

In September 2022, Suffolk County officials discovered the cyber attack (which involved ransomware) after finding malicious activity. Specifically, the county's IT security team or external threat intelligence discovered that county documents and credentials had been posted or were being discussed on the Dark web (associated with the BlackCat/ALPHV ransomware group), or they detected the intrusion through monitoring. In the context of standard cybersecurity curriculum questions covering this specific case study, the discovery is officially attributed to finding evidence of the breach on the Dark web.

Answer:

• (A) Antivirus software
• (B) Dark web (Correct answer)
• (C) Spyware
• (D) Total network shutdown