Ransom demand made in cybersecurity attack, no ransom paid – Hamilton Mayor
Published March 15, 2024 at 6:12 pm
The criminal minds behind the cybersecurity breach that attacked the City of Hamilton’s IT network February 25 demanded a ransom, with the City confirming Friday that no ransom has been paid.
Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath made the announcement Friday afternoon, adding that she was “limited” in what she could share about the demand.
Horwath was joined by Chief Digital Officer Cyrus Tehrani and representatives from Hamilton Fire, Police and Paramedic Services for the update, broadcast on the City’s YouTube channel.
“We are providing as much detail as we can while being careful to protect the best interests of our residents,” Horwath said.
Horwath also assured residents that the City’s technical experts found “no evidence” of personal data being compromised.
“If this changes we have a responsibility to inform the public immediately and that’s what we will do.”
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The Mayor said the breach is now contained and staff are now in the process of rebuilding and restoring the IT system.
“In the days and weeks ahead,” Horwath said, “Hamiltonians will start to see services come back online. These steps will take time, however. Our dedicated cybersecurity team is fully committed to bring our systems back online as quickly and securely as possible.”
