City of Hamilton shifting to ‘recovery and rebuilding’ in cyberattack response

The City of Hamilton has released an update on the ransomware attack that’s been plaguing city services for the past three weeks, saying efforts have officially shifted from incident response to recovery and rebuilding.

The cyberattack was initially discovered on Feb. 25 and has since been confirmed by the city as a ransomware attack.

The city says the focus up until this point has been on making sure the “cyber criminals” don’t inflict further damage.

But with this work now complete, crews can prioritize the restoration and rebuild of critical systems.

A number of city services have been down since Feb. 25, including city phone lines, emails and websites, HSR driver’s computerized onboard schedule and Hamilton Public Health’s ability to access updated childhood immunization records, among other services.

All critical services, including transit, water, wastewater treatment and emergency services have remained operational throughout the attack.

Some city services have already returned to normal, such as the Customer Contact Centre which is once again available to respond to questions and concerns from residents at 905-546-2489.

The city says council and committee meetings will also resume starting March 27.

READ MORE: Ransomware attack behind over week-long City of Hamilton service disruption

Mayor Andrea Horwath says she wants to express thanks to Hamiltonians for their patience and understanding over the last few weeks.

“As City staff continue to prioritize the response to this cybersecurity incident, I want to assure residents that we are taking this matter very seriously and are doing everything we can to minimize the impact and protect the community,” Horwath says.

The city says guest Wi-Fi connectivity at most libraries is now available, and municipal service centres and transfer stations can now accept all forms of payment.

Additionally, most transactions usually processed online can be processed manually in person at city hall and municipal service centers, such as marriage license applications and burn permit applications.

READ MORE: Hamilton city workers awaiting overtime pay amid ongoing cyberattack: unions

City manager Marnie Cluckie said on Tuesday that a team of experts is working “around the clock” to solve the issue.

“We are shifting a little bit in terms of moving from response to recovery and rebuild, which is good news. So I’d liken it to an attack on a castle where first thing you do is lift up the drawbridge to protect what’s inside and then you can start to restore systems so that’s where we’re at right now. Where we’re beginning to focus on bringing as many services up online as we can,” Cluckie said.

The City of Hamilton is expected to host a media availability at noon Friday to provide more information on the cybersecurity incident response.

For more information, and a full list of returning city services, visit the City of Hamilton’s website.