The city of Atlanta is starting to get some online services back up after a massive cyberattack last week. It’s an attack that has the city of Syracuse paying close attention.
The ransomware attack on Atlanta’s computers isn’t the first time hackers have hobbled a municipal government, but it may be the biggest attack of its kind. It’s putting the spotlight on what kind of damage this digital extortion can do to a city government. Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said the Atlanta situation brought more attention to an issue that the city takes seriously.
“We have had conversations with our IT department making sure we’re making everything we can to protect the users working for the city as well as all the information from the citizens that we have,” said Walsh. “So it’s an ongoing process and it’s something that we’re attuned to and focused on.”
Walsh said the city’s IT department had a message for city workers this week.
“Reminding them of the potential phishing scams, and reminding them of best practices,” said Walsh.
Walsh says cybersecurity is something that is an ongoing issue within the administration, noting the city is also taking care to protect information it has from citizens.
