City of Dallas confirms over 25,000 people were impacted by ransomware attack | #hacking | #cybersecurity | #infosec | #comptia | #pentest | #ransomware

DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) — The City of Dallas has confirmed over 25,000 people were affected by a ransomware attack that occurred three months ago.

In early May, hackers accessed names, addresses, medical data and other information through city government servers. The exact number of those impacted—26,212—far exceeds the amount of people who work for the city.

Shortly after the attack, CBS News Texas obtained an image of the ransomware note of which the hackers—a group called “Royal”—claimed they encrypted the city’s critical data and threatened to post sensitive information online.

The cyber intrusion also affected 911 dispatch services for police and fire departments, municipal courts, water utilities and other services.

City officials said they have begun mailing notification letters to those whose information was exposed, but have not said if anyone has fallen victim to identity theft as a result of the security breach.

Read the full timeline of the ransomware attack and its aftermath on the City of Dallas’ website here.