Lessons from Fulton County’s 2024 Cyberattack

In January 2024, the Fulton County government in Georgia, which serves over a million residents, became the latest victim of a devastating ransomware attack. This incident brought critical county services to a halt, impacting everything from court records and tax payments to public services like firearm and marriage licenses. The attack, carried out by the notorious LockBit group, paralyzed essential operations for weeks, with some systems still not fully restored months later.

As a small business owner, you might assume that cyberattacks are primarily aimed at large organizations or government entities. However, the reality is that cybercriminals don’t discriminate based on size. At PeachByte, we’ve seen businesses of all sizes fall victim to these attacks—from solo operations to companies with 50+ employees. If Fulton County’s experience teaches us anything, it’s that everyone is at risk. So how can you protect your business from a similar fate?

1. Phishing Is the Gateway

In October 2024, Kevin Kerrigan, the county's Chief Information Officer, revealed that the attack was triggered by something as simple as an employee with elevated permissions clicking on something they shouldn't have. This one innocent mistake opened the door to a massive breach that affected the county and its taxpayers for months. For small businesses, the takeaway is clear: phishing is a primary attack method, and your employees are on the front lines.

How to Protect Your Business:

• Regularly train employees to recognize phishing attempts and report suspicious activity.
• Implement email filters and security software to detect any threats from suspicious emails.
• Set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) for every user with access to company data, so even if a password or computer is compromised, additional verification is required.

2. Backup, Backup, Backup

One of the reasons Fulton County managed to avoid paying a ransom was that they had backups in place. While their recovery was slow, the presence of backups prevented the complete loss of data. For small businesses, backups are your lifeline if a ransomware attack strikes.

How to Protect Your Business:

• Maintain frequent, automated backups of all critical data.
• Store backups in a secure offsite location or in the cloud (or both).
• Regularly test backups to ensure they can be restored quickly in case of an attack.

3. Proactive Security Measures

The Fulton County cyberattack underscores the importance of having proactive cybersecurity in place. Businesses should focus not just on responding to attacks but on preventing them from happening in the first place.

How to Protect Your Business:

• Almost 90% of cyberattacks each year are directly attributed to human error, like the incident in Fulton County, the most effective proactive security measure is training your employees.
• Cybersecurity is not set it and forget, threats evolve daily. Conduct regular security assessments to identify and fix weak spots in your operations and network.
• Consider investing in a Managed Services Provider (MSP) like PeachByte that can monitor your systems 24/7 and automatically respond to any threats to keep your business safe. 

4. Incident Response Plan

Even with the best defenses, attacks can happen. In the event of a breach, having a detailed incident response plan can mean the difference between swift recovery and prolonged disruption. Fulton County’s extended downtime shows how critical it is to act quickly and decisively.

How to Protect Your Business:

• Develop an incident response plan that outlines what steps to take if your systems are compromised. This may include taking systems offline, communicating with customers, or restoring from backups.
• Make sure all employees are familiar with the plan and understand their roles during an incident.
• Partner with a cybersecurity expert who can guide you through the recovery process.

5. Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

Small businesses often think they’re too insignificant to be targeted, but that’s exactly what makes them vulnerable. Hackers know that smaller companies typically have fewer resources and weaker defenses. The 2024 Fulton County attack is a stark reminder that prevention is always better than reaction.

At PeachByte, we specialize in helping small businesses protect their IT systems from cyberattacks. We offer proactive solutions that ensure your business stays one step ahead of cybercriminals, and your competition, so you can focus on what really matters—growing your business and getting back to the sweeter things.

Don’t let your business become the next headline. Contact us today for a free consultation and find out how we can help protect your business from the cyber threats of today and tomorrow.