Cyberattack recovery nearly in sight, Augusta officials report
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Augusta officials say the city’s computer systems are almost back to normal after being crippled by a cyberattack last month that brought many city services to a crawl.
Three systems still aren’t quite up to speed but will be soon, city officials said in an update Friday.
Those systems are:
- Geographical Information Systems and Environmental Services: All functions have been restored, and the city staff is performing quality control. Full use will be restored to all city departments and the public next week.
- Asset management: Data restoration is still in progress. Functionality and quality control are expected to begin next week.
The cyberattack happened about a month ago. While city officials have been tight-lipped and wouldn’t characterize it as a ransomware attack, the BlackByte ransonmware group claimed responsibility, demanded money and leaked posted sensitive city data online that it said it stole in the attack.
The city brought in outside consultants to investigate and handle legal issues stemming from potential release of private data.
Cybersecurity experts have had a range of opinions, with one saying this week that the city’s information technology budget seems small.
We compared Augusta to six cities across the U.S. with similar population sizes around 200,000.
Out of them, Augusta still spends the smallest percentage of its annual fiscal budget on IT.
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