Outside cybersecurity experts helped prevent Dallas County government from encrypting its files and systems following a recent cyberattack, the city announced this week.
The ransomware attack detected by the county on Oct. 19 is the first ransomware attack on Dallas city government in May, which disrupted several city services and compromised the personal information of more than 30,000 residents. , the second outbreak in North Texas in just five months.
Upon detecting a cyber incident, Dallas County hired private sector cybersecurity experts to assist in efforts to contain the threat and investigate the attack, according to the latest cybersecurity notification update provided by the county.
“Work is currently underway with a cybersecurity firm,” the update reads. “While our goal is to provide information related to the case transparently and candidly, we do not recommend prematurely speculating about the scope of impact or other details that may change as the forensic investigation progresses. I don’t want that.”
Although the county claims the files were not encrypted, CBS News on Tuesday reported that the hacker group Prey claimed responsibility for the attack and stole thousands of files. The group said private documents from Dallas County offices will be put up for sale on the dark web unless an unspecified ransom is paid by Friday, according to CBS News.
Lauren Trimble, chief of staff to Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins, would not confirm the ransomware group's claims or provide further details, citing the ongoing investigation.
The county says the threat is contained thanks to endpoint detection and response tools deployed across the network, forcing password changes for all users, requiring multi-factor authentication for remote access, and blocking traffic to malicious IP addresses. said that it was
“At this time, there is no evidence of continued threat actor activity within our environment,” the update states. “Given these actions and the findings of our investigation, the incident has been successfully contained at this time and Dallas County's system appears to be safe for use.”
