According to sources, Pottawatomie County computer systems (a Government organization in Kansas) was hit with a cyber attack. It was first reported on 2021-10-01.
Source 1 | 2021-10-01
“-" Officials in Pottawatomie County say computer systems are slowly being restored after a ransom was paid to hackers." -"County officials say several of their servers were encrypted during a cyber attack on September 17, 2021." -"“The ransom was reduced by more than 90 percent from hackers’ original demand, an almost unheard-of outcome, every saved dollar of which is taxpayer revenue the county keeps to serve our citizens,” -"The amount paid was not disclosed, however, WIBW-TV has filed an open records request to determine the specific amount that Pottawatomie Co. paid to resolve the ransomware attack." “
Source 2 | 2021-10-19
“• “Pottawatomie County discovered the attack on September 17, public information officer Becky Ryan told local television station WIBW a few days later. It ultimately paid the attackers off—but not the full amount, according to County officials.” • “The attackers originally demanded $1 million, but settled for $71,250 after “a successful negotiation” highlighting the County’s limited financial means and the strain of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to County statements.” • ““In this case, the hackers demonstrated that they had seen some private data,” County Administrator Chad Kinsley said in a statement. ”We paid the ransom to protect our constituents and prevent that data from being made public,” Kinsley added.” • “Pottawatomie County says its systems are now restored, but even with paying off the ransom, the attack kept staff email access and some services, including the County’s online GIS mapping tool, offline for weeks. And with the investigation ongoing, the full extent of the breach or how much it will ultimately cost the local government and the people it serves remains unclear.” • “The County’s emergency response systems were on a separate network and not believed to be affected by the ransomware attacks, he added.” “
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