As early as October 2022, the administration of the Rhein-Palatinate district was hit by a cyber attack. Since the ransom was not paid, all damage had to be repaired. Now the bill is on the table: 1,7 million euros. And data also ended up on the dark web.
Prevention is better than aftercare - the administration of the Rhine-Palatinate district has now noticed that. After the administration was hit by a ransomware attack, nothing worked because of the encrypted systems. The administration had landed back in the analog age within a few days. Even the phones didn't work.
Damage balance 1,7 million euros
It quickly became clear that the administration would not pay the ransom. That was of course the best decision, since every euro paid finances a new attack. However, the administration probably did not expect the effort that a lot of IT would have to be rebuilt. Even some hardware was replaced, as well as memory and software. Even various notebooks and PCs that could not use some of the new security elements were replaced by new devices: 500 new notebooks!
The administration is currently still working with isolated solutions, as it was not certain whether another attack would be possible with the old structure. Everything should be working again by April. In addition to the financial damage, the reputation also suffered considerably. Since the ransom was not paid, the hackers published some data of the citizens on the dark web. According to its own statements, the district office has so far sent around 9.000 letters informing citizens about the publication of their data on the Darknet. The letter asks citizens to be vigilant if something appears in their name on the net or if they are addressed. If that is the case, the circle wants to stand by them.
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