Anyone who needs something from the municipality of Feldbach this week should pick up the phone or send a letter. Hackers have shut down the city’s computer systems and demanded a ransom.
Over the weekend, employees noticed problems with various programs they use on a daily basis. Monday morning it was finally announced that the council employees could no longer be reached by email – “due to server problems”, as was initially said.
In the evening, the whole truth came to light: “Despite extensive precautions, the municipality of Feldbach unfortunately fell victim to a hacker attack. All possible countermeasures were immediately initiated with the support of experts,” a statement on social media said.
No ransom should be paid
The direct impact of this: This week the neighborhood workers can only be reached by phone or email. This should temporarily lead to delays in city services.
As it became known in the evening, a ransom was demanded from the hackers. However, the city does not want to pay for this, but will reinstall the entire computer system. However, this will take a few days.
Complaint has been filed
It was not possible to say exactly on Monday evening whether data was also stolen or whether the hackers simply blocked the system. In any case, the municipality has reported the matter to the police and has contacted the Dutch Data Protection Authority, the federal state of Styria and an IT security company.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
