First published September 23, 2019, The City of Woodstock and the Woodstock Police Service are both suffering cyber attacks.
Woodstock’s top administrator, David Creery, confirmed the city had a network breach early Saturday, September 21 around 4 a.m. when a virus entered its computer system. That virus has since prevented the city from accessing its email and data networks.
Creery said the city had engaged experts and police in its investigation, including the Woodstock Police Service and the OPP cyber-crimes unit.
The attack “has the appearance” of ransomware, though no formal ransom demand has been made, Creery added.
Ransomware is a type of malicious computer program that denies access to the system or its data until a ransom is paid. If that ransom is paid, the hacker then provides a key or password that unlocks the data.
The Woodstock Police Service is also experiencing a separate attack that started around 2:30 a.m. Monday morning (September 23, 2019), Insp. Marci Shelton said, but have not indicated whether it is ransomware.
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