Dallas suburb working with FBI to address attempted ransomware attack

A big Dallas suburb is coping with a ransomware assault that has required assist from the FBI to resolve.

Richardson — residence to about 120,000 folks — launched an announcement saying hackers gained entry to authorities servers on Wednesday morning and tried to encrypt recordsdata on the community. 

“Automated safety techniques instantly responded, containing the affect to a small variety of recordsdata,” metropolis officers mentioned. “As a precautionary measure, inner entry to Metropolis servers has been shut down, presently limiting entry to some file techniques. The precise kind of knowledge compromised continues to be beneath evaluation, and there’s no early indication delicate knowledge was accessed.”

Metropolis Supervisor Don Magner mentioned the assault is one thing officers “have been diligently getting ready for” and defined that their safety protocols seem to have minimized the affect. The town of Dallas confronted its personal devastating ransomware assault final yr. 

Richardson is making an attempt to get better from Wednesday’s incident by changing tools and recovering info from backups. 

“We’re doing all the things in our energy to revive our techniques as rapidly as doable and can establish sources crucial to help affected people, if crucial,” Magner mentioned. 

The town defined that entry to inner info is restricted however exterior important companies like 911, police, on-line funds, waste companies and extra are nonetheless out there. 

The FBI helps with incident response and the Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) additionally has been notified. 

The town didn’t reply to requests for remark about whether or not the ransomware gang has recognized itself or issued a ransom demand. 

In a corresponding FAQ, town mentioned it’s “not figuring out the kind of program used to entry file techniques.”

Officers had been unable to offer a timeline for when techniques might be restored. 

The assault on Richardson is the most recent affecting Dallas-area governments. The assault in Might 2023 on town of Dallas, the ninth-largest in the US, crippled essential techniques utilized by police, firefighters, hospitals and authorities officers.

In October, techniques utilized by Dallas County — which incorporates elements of Richardson — had been additionally hit by ransomware, leaking troves of resident knowledge. The close by governments of Fort Price and Tarrant County have additionally handled cyberattacks over the past yr. 

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