City Employees Call for Answers, Ongoing Ransomware Attack on Dallas – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
City Employees Call for Answers, Ongoing Ransomware Attack on Dallas NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
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Dallas municipal court building closed as ransomware recovery continues
Dallas’ municipal court building is closed this week as impacts from a ransomware attack 19 days ago have stopped hearings, trials and jury duty, and blocked the city from accepting nearly all forms of citation payments.
An online notice on the city’s court and detention services website Monday said the municipal court building at 2014 Main Street isn’t planned to reopen until May 30. People can mail in payments for citations or documents, but they won’t be processed until after the court’s system is restored.
The building remained open in the two weeks since the May 3 ransomware attack to provide general information on citations while the system was down. All hearings that were scheduled since May 3 will be rescheduled, and people haven’t been able to make payments in person, online or by phone.
The court hears cases for people accused of violations, including city ordinances, traffic infractions and class C misdemeanors. Warrants can be issued for people who don’t pay fines and fees collected by the court.
The city said new court dates will be mailed once the system is restored.
Threat of Confidential Data Release in Dallas Ransomware Attack – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
A threat was posted Friday on a website related to the Royal Ransomware Group threatening to release data the group claims to have accessed from the City of Dallas.
The ransomware attack on Dallas government was first revealed on May 3 and since then city officials have always said no data has leaked.
The new post mentions the city’s claim and responds saying tons of personal information, including court cases, medical information and thousands of government documents will be posted on blogs.
City officials have confirmed that key portions of Dallas government remain harmed by the attack which caused them to shut down many systems to avoid spreading damage.
Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said this week that his access to crime data has been compromised for mapping strategy. He said a backlog of reports remains to be filed.
The Dallas County District Attorney released a statement saying some police evidence for court cases has not been available for pending trials.
The City of Dallas Municipal Court, where traffic and code citations are handled, remained closed.
Public computers were not available in Dallas libraries and returned books could not be properly checked in.
Cyber Threat Expert Sam Rubin, a Vice President with Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, who is not involved with the Dallas investigation, said threat actors do access data in more than 70% of attacks.
“They’re not only locking up files but they’re taking information as well. And it’s really all about upping that level of pressure so they can extract payment. It’s a form of extortion,” Rubin said.
Former Federal Prosecutor Matt Yarbrough who handles cybersecurity and data privacy cases with the law firm Michelman and Robinson said the threat posted Friday is a new level in the Dallas case.
“It’s a major escalation from the standpoint they’re going to release these critical systems not only about employees but active and ongoing criminal investigations and prosecutions. And the fact that it hurts or is hurting cases at trial right now is a major factor,” Yarbrough said.
The city of Dallas issued a statement Friday renewing the claim that no data has leaked.
“We continue to…
Royal ransomware attack recovery in Dallas to take weeks
Officials in the City of Dallas said that more weeks are needed to fully restore the operations of its police, court, fire department, and critical infrastructure systems disrupted by a Royal ransomware attack earlier this month, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.
Some of the city’s dispatch systems have already been restored following backlash from police officers and firefighters, who reported struggles in addressing reported incidents due to the attack but all court hearings and trials remain to be suspended.
Meanwhile, Dallas Water Utilities had its payment systems and meter reading software online on May 11, but public library computers continue to not be operational.
“There is still no indication data from residents, vendors or employees has been leaked. Given the complexity of checking, cleaning, and restoring interoperability to remaining departmental devices, systems, and applications, it will likely take weeks to get back to full functionality,” said officials.