Midland Town’s Computer Systems Hacked and Attackers Demand Ransom

Midland Town fall prey to cyber-attack in the morning of September 1, 2018, when the entire network of the town was accessed illegally and then was infected with ransomware. The malware then encrypted numerous systems of the town making them all unusable. The malware attackers then demanded ransom money, so as to decrypt the systems.

The staff of Midland town took quick action to isolate the infected systems and activated an investigation on the cyber crime instantaneously. As per the staff of Midland town, necessary steps have been taken to retrieve the system and getting an access to the files. They are making every possible attempt to get back to the normal operations as early as possible.

"Residents can rest assured that we are taking this matter extremely seriously," said Mayor Gord McKay. Mckay further added that they are closely working with the cyber security experts specializing in the illegal attacks taking place in the cyber world. As per him, the incident has already been reported to the law enforcement and the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

The vital services of Midland town like wastewater management, fire and water were not impacted by the malware attack, as these services have been purposely isolated because of the security reasons.

The ongoing investigations till date have not found evidences of information being removed or inappropriately accessed from the systems. Also, quick attempts are being made by the cyber security experts to rule out the possibility of any further damage.

The latest service delivery review's outlined recommendations along with cyber attack of Wasaga Beach in the month of April have prompted Midland town to invest on an insurance policy to safeguard against unprecedented events and cyber crimes. Midland town is slowly and gradually implementing the strategies that are developed to combat cyber security threats.

John Skorobohacz, Midland CAO, said that "at the time of the attack the Town was in the process of making several improvements to our IT security". The CAO further said that once the systems get fully restored, they will continue with their IT security improvement plans along with more opportunities to enhance their security based on the guidance given by the cyber security experts.

» SPAMfighter News - 9/12/2018