Atlanta is still trying to get back to business as usual after cyberattack – By Jana J Pruet (theblaze.com) / March 28 2018
Nearly a week after a ransomware attack on the city of Atlanta, some of the municipality’s departments still aren’t back to business as usual.
While some employees were allowed to turn their computers back on Tuesday, police and other departments are having to write out their reports by hand until the rest of the systems are back up and running again, CNN reported.
The city also canceled all court dates for Wednesday.
Due to the ransomware cyberattack all scheduled Court appearances will be reset. Reset notices will be mailed. @ATLCourt
— City of Atlanta, GA (@CityofAtlanta) March 28, 2018
What happened?
Details surrounding the March 22 breach are still unclear, but authorities have confirmed that hackers attacked the city’s technology systems and city officials received a written demand for money.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told reporters Monday during a news conference that the hackers asked for a six Bitcoin ransom that comes to about $51,000.
“I just want to make the point that this is much bigger than a ransomware attack,” Bottoms said. “This is really an attack on our government, which means it’s an attack on all of us.”
It’s not clear if officials know the identity of the hackers.
Will the city pay the ransom?
Officials are working with authorities to determine the best way to proceed regarding the ransom demand.
Was employee or customer data compromised?
The city has encouraged people to monitor and protect their personal information, but it doesn’t believe any personal information has been compromised.
What else?
The Municipal Court cannot process payments — online or in person, and it will reschedule court appearances, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The city cannot process new water service requests, and permits and event applications will be reviewed manually by the Department of Parks and Recreation.
All job applications have been suspended until further notice.
However, the fire and police departments are fully operational, including 911 services.
