The Calvià City Council in Mallorca announced that it was affected by a ransomware attack that took place on Saturday.
Calvià is located on the Spanish island of Mallorca. It has a population of 50,000 residents and is one of the most important tourist spots in the area. It is estimated to receive 1.6 million visits annually.
However, over the weekend, a ransomware attack targeted the systems . The City Council quickly formed a committee to assess the damage caused and propose plans to address the situation.
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“The Calvià City Council is working to restore the smooth operation of its systems as soon as possible, after being the target of a cyberattack in the early hours of last Saturday. The aim was to blackmail the council,” the statement from Calvià reads.
Mayor Juan Antonio Amengual said cybersecurity experts have launched an investigation to assess the extent of the attackers' unauthorized access and restore the affected systems and services
Many municipal services stopped functioning as a result of the ransomware attack.
Citizens who urgently need to submit any document can still do so via the General State Administration portal.
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The municipality has informed the competent authorities (the police cybercrime unit).
At the end of the council's announcement, there is a reminder to citizens that citizen services operate by telephone.
“The City Council deeply regrets the inconvenience this situation may cause and reiterates its firm commitment to resolve the current situation in the most orderly, expeditious and effective manner,” the statement. “In any case, telephone and face-to-face communication continues as normal.”
At the moment, we do not know who is behind this attack. However, according to a local media outlet, the ransom demanded by the hackers from Calvià is 10,000,000 euros. The mayor told the local press that the municipality will not pay the ransom under any circumstances.
Impact of a ransomware attack on a city
A ransomware attack can paralyze a city, rendering digital systems unable to function. This can impact public services, such as police, fire departments and hospitals, that depend on access to digital data to operate.
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In addition, municipal service systems, such as supply water and waste collection, may be disrupted, causing serious problems for residents.
Finally, a ransomware attack can have serious financial implications for a city. The need to restore systems and recover data can require significant financial resources, while the loss of trust from citizens and businesses can have long-term consequences for the city's financial stability.
Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com
