City of Cambridge makes cyber security top priority after Hamilton attack

After two Ontario municipalities were hit with cyber attacks within a three week span, the City of Cambridge is beefing up its own security in case they are next on the list. 

Over the past few years as ransomware and security breaches have become more common around the globe, municipalities like Cambridge have been taking extra precautions to keep sensitive data safe.

Chief information officer, Mohammad Mamun said the city cannot disclose too much information on the sensitive subject, but said security and preservation of the data and private information of Cambridge residents is a top priority. 

"While no municipality is completely immune to cyber-attack, cyber-security and the protection of resident information is a top priority for the City of Cambridge," said Mamun. 

"The City Cambridge maintains a focus on cyber-security best practices such as policy development including 24/7 monitoring of IT systems, awareness training and exercises, multi-factor authentication, regular software patching and security assessments to proactively identify opportunities to reinforce protection of the city’s information."

In the City of Hamilton's case, a ransomware attack was responsible for knocking out online city services for weeks, leaving the municipality unable to take phone calls, pay vendors and completely disrupting the system. 

A ransomware attack is described as a malicious piece of software that holds a system hostage until a ransom is paid. 

Soon after getting its systems back online, the City of Hamilton has confirmed that they are not paying a ransom. 

Back in 2019, it was reported that the City of Stratford paid $75,000 to unlock data and retrieve sensitive information. 

While Mamun can't say if the city has any policy about paying a ransom fee to retrieve data, he did note that in the event of an attack, they have backup systems on stand-by to protect information and keep city services afloat. 

"In partnership with the City’s Emergency Management Team, the city has developed a cyber-security incident response plan that includes activation of the EOC (Emergency Operations Centre) to ensure systems can be restored and the delivery of essential city programs and services can be maintained."

The city also notes that as heightened levels of security around the data and personal information of residents continues to become more relevant, they are continuously looking for new ways to keep the community safe.