Ransomware attack in Columbus affects 500,000 people

The city of Columbus, Ohio, is notifying 500,000 people that their personal information was stolen in a ransomware attack in July 2024.

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The incident occurred on July 18 and resulted in the city's systems being taken offline as a containment measure, affecting many services. In late July, the city of Columbus announced that the ransomware attack was stopped before it could spread to its systems .

In early August, the city sued security researcher David Leroy Ross, also known as Connor Goodwolf, for telling local media that residents' personal information had been stolen during the attack. City officials had previously said that only corrupted, unusable data.

Ross discovered that the Rhysida ransomware gang had leaked 3.1 terabytes of information allegedly stolen from the city of Columbus’ systems on its Tor-based website . The group claimed to have stolen 6.5 terabytes of data and leaked the information after failing to blackmail the city and auction off the data.

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In its notification letter to affected individuals, a copy of which was submitted to the Maine Attorney General's Office, the city confirmed that the perpetrators posted copious amounts of allegedly stolen data on the dark web.

The potentially compromised information, Columbus says, includes names, addresses, dates of birth, bank account information, driver's license information, social security numbers and other identifying information.

The city of Columbus notes that it is not aware of any misuse of the compromised personal information for identity theft or fraud from the ransomware attack, but is providing individuals who may be affected with 24 months of free credit monitoring services, which include assistance with identity restoration.

The city of Columbus told the Maine AGO that 500,000 people may have been affected. Ohio's capital and the state's most populous city is home to more than 900,000 people.

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Ransomware attacks on cities, like the one in Columbus, have become increasingly common, causing severe disruptions to daily operations and public services. When such attacks occur, cities’ digital infrastructures are crippled as government computers are encrypted and attackers demand ransoms to restore access .This can impact everything from emergency services and public records to transportation operations. Cities are forced to invest in improved cybersecurity measures to prevent future attacks and protect their citizens’ data.

Source: securityweek