City of Columbus, Ohio Says Foreign Cyber Threat Attempted to Disrupt IT System

The City of Columbus said an investigation into a July 18 cybersecurity incident has found that a foreign cyber threat actor attempted to disrupt the city’s IT infrastructure, in a possible effort to deploy ransomware and solicit a ransom payment from the city.

The city’s Department of Technology quickly identified the threat and took action to significantly limit potential exposure, which included severing internet connectivity, according to a press release from the city government.

While the threat actor’s activity was disrupted, an investigation is ongoing to determine the amount of city data potentially accessed.

Once the threat actor activity was identified, the city immediately engaged the FBI and Homeland Security to further protect its systems and data. The incident remains an ongoing situation and the investigation is in its earliest stages. The city is in the process of identifying individuals whose personal information was potentially exposed and will provide notice and additional guidance to all who are impacted in the coming weeks.

Additional and ongoing forensic investigation has uncovered that the threat actor gained access to the city’s system through an internet website download and not an email link, as was originally believed to have been the access point.

Source: City of Columbus

Topics Cyber Tech Ohio