Hidden truth of Cleveland’s cyber incident finally uncovered

TLDR:

• The city of Cleveland experienced a ransomware attack, resulting in City Hall remaining closed on June 17.
• Essential services such as trash pickup, recreation centers, and utilities are operating normally.

Key Elements of the Article

City officials in Cleveland have confirmed that a cyber incident that disrupted city operations was a ransomware attack. The attack, discovered over the weekend, forced City Hall to close, with essential services continuing to operate. The FBI discourages paying ransoms in such attacks, as it does not guarantee data retrieval and can encourage future attacks. Security company Sophos reports an increase in ransomware attacks over the past few years, affecting organizations of all sizes. Mayor Justin Bibb is working to contain and manage the situation. The FBI provides guidelines on protecting against ransomware attacks, including updating software, using anti-virus programs, regular data backups, and creating a plan for business continuity after an attack.