Columbus and other cities hit by ransomware attacks

The city of Columbus, Ohio, said it is working to restore its systems after a ransomware attack that forced the government to shut down its internet.

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City officials issued a statement this week explaining that while payroll and employee systems remain operational, several services used by residents are experiencing outages that "may take time to restore."

Columbus, the capital of Ohio, with nearly 1 million residents, is one of several cities reporting cybersecurity incidents or ransomware attacks in the past week.

The city first notified the public in a brief statement on Facebook last Friday. A local news outlet pressed Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther about whether the city was experiencing a ransomware attack, but he declined to say, confirming only that the incident is affecting all city services. He also said that no city employees can send or receive email.

In a statement on the city's website, officials said the city's Technology Department discovered an "anomaly" on Thursday, July 18, and contacted law enforcement to assist with recovery. They noted that the incident was "not related to the global IT outage" caused by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.

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"The investigation into the exact cause is ongoing, but it is believed that a Columbus city employee clicked on a malicious link sent via email," the city said, noting that it is still reviewing what information was compromised.

«The City of Columbus is currently in the recovery and restoration phase of its systems. The City has engaged law enforcement and cybersecurity experts to eliminate the threat, comply with applicable laws, and mitigate further risk. Any individuals affected will be notified.»

The Columbus Dispatch reported Thursday that the city is prioritizing restoring law enforcement systems – most notably the computer-.

The Columbus attack comes just a month after another major Ohio city – Cleveland – reported its own ransomware attack that shut down city hall for days. The Columbus attack comes as several U.S. municipalities grapple with the fallout from incidents that have affected a variety of government services.

See also: Los Angeles Superior Court: Systems shutdown due to ransomware

Ransomware attacks pose a serious threat to the digital world, as attackers encrypt data and demand a ransom to restore it. These attacks can severely damage businesses, often resulting in significant downtime and loss of critical data. The methods used by attackers vary, including phishing emails, malware, and exploiting system vulnerabilities. It is important for organizations and users to adopt security strategies, such as regular data backups, as well as training employees on how to recognize dangerous links and attachments.

Source: therecord