A hacker has taken over the IT system of the Spanish city of Jerez de la Frontera, located in the southern part of the country, and is demanding a ransom in bitcoins to unlock, local officials said on Friday.
The cyberattack, which has caused service disruptions through the city, began on Tuesday evening, a city spokesman told AFP.
The hacker behind the attack is demanding a ransom in bitcoin to restore the computer system, he added, without saying how much is being demanded.
Bitcoin been the favorite currency of hackers and cybercriminals in general thanks to the anonymous nature of the currencies.
Spain 's Interior Ministry has sent three computer experts to Jerez de la Frontera, a city of about 212,000 residents, to help the municipality resolve cyberattacks , city authorities said.
Socialist Party mayor Mamem Sanchez said the municipality's website would only return to operation when it was "100% secure.".
While legal experts and security specialists say it is unwise to pay hackers, many organizations end up accepting ransom, which often cost less than "rebuilding" their IT systems.
