The town of Bernalillo has approved an $82,000 offer to hackers in an effort to end a ransomware attack that has disrupted municipal services since mid-October, though experts warn the payment may not guarantee a resolution.BERNALILLO, N.M. —The town of Bernalillo is offering $82,000 to hackers in an attempt to resolve a ransomware attack that has disrupted key municipal services since October 16. The attack was first discovered when the town’s IT director noticed suspicious activity on the computer systems and began shutting down devices. “Eventually, he came across a note from the threat actors, and that’s when we realized that it was a full-blown ransomware attack,” said Mayor Jack Torres. The attack affected the town’s Motor Vehicle Division office, police body cameras, and online water bill payment systems. While most services have been restored, residents must still pay water bills in person or by mail. After consulting with outside experts, the town council unanimously approved the $82,000 offer to the hackers. “Based on the information that we have in front of us, it made it clear that the best way to move forward was to make an offer and try to get this resolved quicker, rather than drawing it out over a long period of time,” Torres said. The town is hopeful the payment will end the attack, but there are no guarantees. “We are dealing with criminals basically, so there is no guarantee that they will actually release the key to decrypt the files and the operation,” said Efren Lopez, an assistant professor of computer science at New Mexico State University. Lopez also highlighted another risk of paying the ransom. “If the payment is done, then actually you are funding the attackers. They are getting money to continue their operations,” he said. However, Lopez noted that some organizations choose to pay ransoms for financial reasons. “They want to get their operations back online. And a lot of the times, the monetary cost of the operations being down is way more than the actual ransom payment,” he said. For Bernalillo, Lopez said the situation also presents an opportunity to invest in cybersecurity training and infrastructure to prevent future attacks. Torres confirmed that no payment has been made yet, and even if an agreement is reached, the town still has significant work ahead to fully recover. If the hackers accept the offer, the $82,000 payment will come from the town’s general fund reserves. Torres said there is no timeline for when Bernalillo will fully recover from the attack.
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