Ransomware attack hits Indianapolis Housing Agency’s Section 8 system

The Indianapolis Housing Agency, the federal agency responsible for providing housing to low-income tenants in the city, has been battling a cyber-attack for the past three weeks that’s compromised their entire information technology system.

The agency has not released details about the motive or identity of the individuals behind the ransomware attack, which is a type of malicious software often unknowingly downloaded onto computers through methods such as innocuous email attachments. The software prevents users from accessing computer files and systems. It can result in massive disruptions and loss of information.

As the name suggests, ransomware attacks can involve demands for ransom payments in exchange for the system being restored.

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The ransomware attack delayed the Indianapolis Housing Agency’s ability to send out October rent payments to landlords for the federal housing choice voucher program, also known as Section 8, which 8,000 Indianapolis families depend on. Section 8 provides rental assistance to very low-income families, the elderly, and disabled individuals for housing on the private market, and the agency administers the program for Indianapolis.

About 25,000 people depend on the Indianapolis Housing Agency for various housing benefits, either through Section 8 or by living in one of the agency-owned public housing buildings.

All agency employees lost access to their email during the attack, including the executive director, Marcia Lewis, who lost access to her email for days but regained access to it Tuesday, according to an email she sent to IndyStar.

An investigation by IT security experts, law enforcement, and the agency’s IT service providers is underway, Lewis said. As of Wednesday, the attack is still ongoing, she said.

As of Monday, Lewis said, the agency successfully made all October rent payments to Section 8 landlords. In the previous week, the agency had to manually send out client utility allowance checks and critical vendor payments because the IT system was down.

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