Columbus sued for cybersecurity breach and leaked data in class action

TLDR:

• Columbus police officers are suing the city over a cybersecurity breach.
• Rhysida, a ransomware group, claims to have stolen city government data and threatened to release it unless a ransom is paid.

Columbus, Ohio is facing a class action lawsuit over a cybersecurity breach that resulted in leaked data. Two Columbus police officers filed the lawsuit in response to data stolen by a ransomware group called Rhysida, which claims to have obtained 6.5 TB of city government data. The group demanded a ransom of 30 BT (around $2 million) in exchange for not releasing the information publicly.

The lawsuit alleges that the city failed to protect officers’ personal information and did not follow industry and Federal Trade Commission guidelines on data security. The stolen data includes passwords, log-ins, databases, and access to city cameras. Members of the Fraternal Order of Police and firefighters have reported compromised personal information since the breach.

The lawsuit seeks damages and restitution for the affected individuals. Mayor Andrew Ginther’s Office has disputed the value of the stolen data, stating that it may not be usable or valuable to malicious actors. The city attorney’s office is aware of the complaint but has not yet reviewed it due to the ongoing nature of the investigation.