Its been nearly three weeks now since Redcar council was hit by a randsomeware attack, affecting 135,000 residents with potentially sensitive data now in the hands of cyber criminals.

It took 19 days after the attack for the council to come forward and admit the severity of the hack however they are currently working alongside the UK's national cyber security center to resolve the issue. The council is scrambling to build a new server and website with temporary call center to take any urgent calls as without a website they have to prioritize  their resources even more. Cyber attacks of this nature are a growing problem for larger targets such as public authority and businesses in hopes of getting as much money from the attack as possible.

Redcar council spokes person ensured the locals that no sensitive data had been lost and a full investigation was underway, but this doesn't explain what they plan to do about the ongoing hack. The council can either pay the ransom in hopes that the hackers will abort the attack or set up an entirely new computer system which often ends up costing more than the ransom. Unlike when a company is attacked the council is funded by tax payers meaning this might not be something that can be decided behind closed doors especially if locals begin demanding more transparency on how the money is being spent combating this issue.

This incident highlights how vulnerable most companys are online without even knowing. You can avoid falling to the same fate as Redcar council with a free security audit on all your systems from ADNS, call todays on 01642 248 750 or message us with any enquiries at info@adnsgroup.com and take the next step to complete cyber security.