As the Asheville Citizen-Times reports, earlier this month the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians was the victim of a damaging cyberattack that caused widespread damage to tribal networks and affected critical systems including 911 dispatch. Almost two weeks out from the December 7 attack, the tribe still is working to repair their network and bring systems back online. A former IT employee who was suspended two days before the attack, Benjamin Cody Long, has been arrested in connection with the incident. A report from the Cherokee One Feather covering Long’s detention hearing in Cherokee Tribal Court has detailed information about the attack and includes a quote from the judge describing the damage as “immense and unprecedented.”
This is the last blog post of the year. Thanks to all of our readers for engaging with the blog this year, we hope that everyone has a safe and happy holiday season. Keep reading for more news.