The Lingering Effects of a Cyber Attack: Dallas Struggles to Recover

Dallas Overcomes Ransomware Attack, But Plenty of Work Remains

A ransomware attack on May 3, 2019 hit the city of Dallas, incapacitating several essential city services including the 311 hotline, public libraries, animal shelters, emergency departments, and payment systems. According to reports, a month later, the city’s IT team has restored 90% of the network, though significant work remains to ensure that all services return to normal.

Cybersecurity Measures in Place

The Royal ransomware attack resulted in threats from the actor that sensitive data would be leaked if a ransom wasn’t paid. Fortunately, the city of Dallas was not tempted to pay the ransom. At the same time, city officials are working with cybersecurity experts to come up with additional measures to improve their security posture. This added software will be deployed, accelerating the implementation of additional controls, and completely rebuilding impacted systems in a new, secure environment.

Rebuilding and Enhancing Systems

In spite of the cyber attack, officials are happy that most public-facing services have been restored. Systems that have been rebuilt or restored include Dallas Water Utilities’ payment and meter services and the Dallas Municipal Court. However, systems in the Dallas Public Library have yet to be restored and upgraded. “We continue to work with our cybersecurity experts on additional steps to further enhance our security posture, including implementing additional cybersecurity software, deploying a system-wide reset across all user accounts, expediting the implementation of additional controls, and completely rebuilding impacted systems in a new, secure environment,” the update from the city of Dallas said.

Keeping the Commuity Informed

The city of Dallas has promised to keep residents informed with relevant updates on their site. It also added that residents may help with the city’s recovery by remaining patient as city officials work to handle the incident.

Editorial

This ransomware attack on the city of Dallas is concerning, as it is only the latest in a long string of cyber attacks on American cities and government entities. It’s only a matter of time before these types of attacks become more serious and cripple more essential services. These incidents highlight the importance of constant online protection and investing in appropriate cybersecurity measures. They also remind us of the need to educate employees on how to identify and avoid cyber threats.

Conclusion: Protect Yourself

The ransomware attack on the city of Dallas should shock organisations into assessing their cybersecurity approach. Every organisation should consider itself vulnerable and act accordingly. A critical part of any cybersecurity approach is adequate company-wide training for employees at all levels. Training should include learning how to recognise and avoid potential phishing emails, identifying any digital vulnerabilities, and educating team members on best practise approaches to protect both their work and personal data online.

The next ransomware attack could be aimed directly at your company or organisation. Knowing what to do and how to protect yourself could save your most essential data, services and reputation.