Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther recently held a press conference to address the recent ransomware attack that has compromised the personal information of thousands of Columbus residents and city employees. Ginther acknowledged that private citizens’ data was included in the data breach, putting their finances at risk. The mayor admitted that he has not reviewed any written reports from IT professionals investigating the incident and could not provide specifics on who is providing him with technical evaluations that have been inaccurate or underestimated the damage done. The press conference follows conflicting reports from a local cybersecurity expert that contradicted Ginther’s earlier assurances regarding the nature of the data stolen and the extent of the breach.
In response to the ransomware attack, the city of Columbus announced that Governor Mike DeWine has deployed the Ohio National Guard to assist in managing the cyber attack. Mayor Ginther noted that he made the request for assistance in late July as the city works to address the sprawling issue. The mayor accepted responsibility for the inaccurate information presented earlier and emphasized the city’s commitment to protecting residents by expanding the credit monitoring program to include all city residents at a cost of millions of taxpayer dollars.
Ginther expressed concerns over potential additional bad news and ongoing investigations that could last for several more months. The city is focusing on restoring its systems and investing further in cybersecurity measures in light of the breach. While information stolen in the attack was initially thought to be encrypted and unusable, subsequent discoveries by citizen cyber sleuths have revealed a range of compromised data, including scanned photo ID information, juvenile court orders of protection, and potentially bank accounts. The city prosecutor’s database has also been hacked, exposing information of individuals involved with the justice system.
The mayor could not provide an exact number of infected city computer systems or the types of data stolen but confirmed that efforts are underway to restore systems effectively without risking further data exposure. As investigations continue, Ginther promised to provide as much verifiable information as possible to the public. The newly expanded credit monitoring program includes a $1 million insurance policy against cyberfraud, which is available to all residents and individuals whose data may have been compromised. City Attorney Zach Klein noted that participating in the policy does not waive any rights to sue for damages and is available through the end of November.
Despite previous delays in addressing questions about the cyber attack, Mayor Ginther emphasized his commitment to protecting the city’s residents and ensuring transparency in the ongoing investigation. The city is advising individuals who have interacted with Columbus, including the Municipal Court, to sign up for credit monitoring through the official city website as a notification of the potential data compromise. As the city works to address the aftermath of the ransomware attack, efforts are being made to restore systems, improve cybersecurity measures, and provide support to those affected by the data breach.
