City Hall continues to struggle with the loss of its web and network systems following a ransomware cyber attack late Friday. All network services with the exception of the 9-1-1 Communications Centre are offline – and – today city officials admitted there has been a demand for payment of a ransom to unlock the digital files and network.
City Manager John Collin says payment of the ransom is one of the options on the table to get services restored as soon as possible. Collin declined to give specific details about the attack and he refused to say how much money is being demanded – but – he did say full restoration of services will take weeks.
Collin says so far there is no indication any personal information has been compromised. City Police – RCMP – provincial – and federal agencies are involved in the investigation of the breach. Residents and businesses who have dealt with the city online are being advised to watch their bank and credit card accounts for any suspicious activity. If anything suspicious is noticed – you should advise your financial institution immediately.
Meantime – the city is not accepting any online payments – Monday’s council meeting was cancelled as was tonight’s Planning Advisory Committee meeting – and the Police Commission meeting scheduled for tomorrow evening has also been cancelled. The city’s bulky item pick up service has also been temporarily suspended.
