One month after ransomware attack, Dallas reports 90% of its network has been restored

More than a month after a crippling ransomware attack on May 3, administrators from Dallas, Texas say they’ve restored more than 90% of the city’s network.

“Our staff has worked tirelessly to restore and rebuild systems and return all systems to full functionality as quickly and securely as possible,” reads a statement issued last week from the city about the progress. “We continue working diligently to restore full functionality as quickly as possible and will continue to keep the community informed with relevant updates throughout this process.”

At its worst point, the cyberattack shut down the city’s municipal court system, restricted record keeping and took the library’s computers and online payment system offline. It delayed city services, caused some departments to suspend normal operations, and forced emergency dispatchers to take down calls by hand. Further disruption to typical operations occurred when city administrators paused the system to survey and repair damaged areas.

Notably, ransomware either locks administrators out of their system or threatens to expose vital information if a ransom isn’t paid. It’s typically introduced by either a spear phishing or phishing scheme that tricks users into giving up their credentials or allowing access to the system via malicious links.

Despite the disruption, city services continued to function in some capacity because of “successful planning and preparation,” the statement says. “Dallas Police Department, Dallas Fire-Rescue, 911 and 311 rose to the challenge and took quick action to implement workarounds to meet residents’ needs, answering and responding to incoming calls despite a brief interruption to our Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. Backup measures immediately allowed service to continue until we brought systems back online May 6.”

Dallas Water Utilities’ payment system and meter reading software has likewise been restored, although the city library’s reservation system is still offline. Librarians continue to manually track item availability and borrowing.

To read the complete article, visit American City & County.