Ransomware attack downs City of Hamilton's online payment systems and public computers

The city of Hamilton in Canada suffered a significant cyber security incident that forced city officials to take several systems offline.

 

In a press release published last month, the City of Hamilton said that on February 25, it identified a cyber security incident that affected several of its internal systems. The City immediately launched an internal investigation, with assistance from third party cyber security experts, to understand the nature and scope of the incident.

 

“At this time, experts are actively responding to the incident to determine the cause and potential impacts. Our priority is to safeguard the integrity of our systems and protect any sensitive or private information.

“While the investigation is ongoing, we want to assure the community that we are taking this matter seriously and are collaborating closely with cybersecurity experts and relevant authorities to address the issue as quickly and effectively as possible,” the City said.

 

While the City said that critical services like water and wastewater treatment, waste collection and transit are operational, almost all of their online payment services were affected by the incident. All city council meetings scheduled till March 15 were cancelled and the city libraries’ WiFi, public computers, printing services weren’t operational.

 

In a data security incident notice published on March 7, the City said that on March 4, it determined that the cyber security incident occurred due to a ransomware attack.

 

“The City of Hamilton took swift action to investigate, protect systems and minimise impact on the community. We engaged a team of experts, insurers, legal counsel, and relevant authorities and are working diligently to restore the City’s system in a safe and secure manner. While a timeline for recovery is not yet known, the City is committed to resolving the situation as quickly and effectively as possible,” reads the notice.

 

City officials added that since most of the payment systems were affected, vendor payments are being processed manually, so delays are anticipated.

 

“Vendors are requested to continue sending invoices to the City of Hamilton using the normal process,” City officials added.

 

Investigators are also in the process of determining whether the threat actor infiltrated the City’s internal network or accessed any sensitive personal information of its residents. If anything is identified, the City will notify all affected individuals.

 

The city of Hamilton is yet to share details on who is behind the cyber attack or how the threat actors infiltrated its systems. Officials have, however, assured residents that they will share more details as and when available.