The City of Columbus might be in for a long, expensive recovery from a recent ransomware attack , according to a cybersecurity expert.
While Mayor Andrew J. Ginther’s administration has been under a near news blackout concerning the attack, the expert says what has been revealed suggests a recovery period measured in months and in which paying any demanded ransom might be the least of the city’s expenses.
“Unfortunately, once the attack has taken place, once the ransomware has been installed, there’s really nothing you can do,” said Tom Holt, a professor in school of criminal justice at Michigan State University specializing in cybercrime and cybersecurity. “You’re left to negotiate with the group itself. Or you can try to go to backup, but if you’re talking a city the size of Columbus, it’s hard to know when every system was last backed up, how much data could be lost, things like that.”
The fact that the city has notified the public that electronic payment systems such as those for getting cars out of impound or paying traffic tickets are compromised suggests the attack was pervasive, and “sounds pretty severe.”