The City of Albany gets hit by a ransomware attack

• Mayor Kathy Sheehan confirmed that there is no evidence of any personal data being stolen.
• The ransomware attack that infected the network of the City of Albany also impacted the computers in the patrol cars in terms of incident and accident reports.

What is the issue - Albany, the capital of the US state of New York was hit by a ransomware attack on March 30, 2019.

“The City of Albany has experienced a ransomware cyber attack. We are currently determining the extent of the compromise. We are committed to keeping you informed and will provide updates as they become available,” Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan tweeted.

The big picture

A press release published on the official site of the city revealed that it suffered a ransomware attack on Saturday and that the city officials have worked throughout the weekend to contain the incident.

The press release also stated the following,

• All City employees will report to work during normal business hours on April 01, 2019 (Monday).
• City buildings will be open to the public at 12:00 p.m on April 01, 2019.
• All City Court services will be available to the public except Birth Certificates, Death Certificates, or Marriage Certificates and will operate during normal business hours.

Minutes of the press conference

A press conference was held by Mayor Kathy Sheehan on April 01, 2019, to provide an update on the incident. Steve Hughes, who attended the press conference tweeted the minutes of the press conference.

• Hughes tweeted that Mayor confirmed that there is no evidence of any personal data being stolen.
• In the press conference, Mayor stated that the city is still investigating the IT systems that are impacted by the ransomware infection.
• If needed, employees can get credit monitoring services.

Worth noting

Gregory McGee, Vice President of the Albany Police Officers Union (APOU) in a Facebook post stated that the ransomware attack that infected the network of the City of Albany also impacted the computers in the patrol cars in terms of incident and accident reports.

“One has to ask the question of why a police department with sensitive information is on the same network that was so easily attacked. What are the contingency plans in an event like this? Why is there no information being explained to the members of the APOU? What is the timeline for services being restored so that the members of the APOU can provide citizens with the appropriate services? Is the sensitive personal information of APOU members secure, and what, if any, guarantees are there that it is? I can assure the public that the members of the APOU will continue to provide the utmost level of professionalism and deliver the absolute best service that we can,” the Facebook post read.