Updated August 1, 2024
Q: What happened?
A: An ongoing investigation, the City of Columbus has found that a foreign cyber threat actor attempted to disrupt the city’s IT infrastructure, in a possible effort to deploy ransomware and solicit a ransom payment from the city. Fortunately, the city’s Department of Technology quickly identified the threat and took action to significantly limit potential exposure, which included severing internet connectivity. While an encryption attempt was prevented, it is likely that some city data was accessed by the threat actor.
The incident remains an ongoing situation, and our investigation in partnership with cybersecurity experts, the FBI and Homeland Security is still in its earliest stages. In order to support an effective investigation and to protect our IT infrastructure and confidential information, our ability to comment on the criminal investigation remains limited.
Q: What is the City of Columbus doing in response to the event?
A: The city quickly engaged the FBI, Homeland Security and cybersecurity experts to eradicate the threat, comply with applicable laws and limit further risk.
The Department of Technology’s efforts to restore city systems have been careful and methodical, in order to harden our systems against further breach before bringing them back online. We appreciate the grace our residents have offered us amidst service delays, and the dedication of our employees working to keep our city running.
We continue to prioritize the safety and personal data of our employees and residents. As a precautionary action, the city is offering Experian credit monitoring for all City of Columbus, Franklin County Municipal Court Judges and Franklin County Municipal Court Clerk employees currently receiving paychecks from the city. This service includes credit monitoring by all three credit bureaus, identity theft restoration service with identity theft insurance and dark web monitoring for two years. Employees will receive separate instructions on how to enroll with Experian.
Q: Was any personal identifiable information accessed during this incident?
A: It is likely that city data was accessed by the threat actor. The city will provide notice and further guidance to anyone whose personal information was exposed.
As a precautionary action, the city is offering Experian credit monitoring for all City of Columbus, Franklin County Municipal Court Judges and Franklin County Municipal Court Clerk employees currently receiving paychecks from the city. This service includes credit monitoring by all three credit bureaus, identity theft restoration service with identity theft insurance and dark web monitoring for two years. Employees will receive a separate email or letter with instructions on how to enroll with Experian.
If you observe unusual IT activity or believe your city email account has been compromised, you are asked to report it to abuse@columbus.gov.
Employees are also encouraged to be cautious of potential scams and identity theft. Ways you can protect yourself include:
- Do not give out your personal information unsolicited over the phone, email or by text.
- Delete texts from numbers you don’t recognize.
- Do not reply to emails that ask you for money and do not click on links in emails you don’t recognize.
- Use different passwords for your different personal accounts.
- Monitor your bank and credit card statements for unauthorized use, and if you see anything, notify law enforcement and the credit bureaus.
- Obtain a free copy of your credit report by visiting annualcreditreport.com, or calling 1-877-322-8228.
Additional resources on how to protect your information and identity include:
Q: What caused this issue?
A: It was initially believed that a City of Columbus employee clicked a malicious link sent via email. However, additional and ongoing forensic investigation has uncovered that the threat actor gained access to the city’s system through an internet website download.