Gary, Ind., city officials rebuilding servers after ransomware attack

Multiple servers in Gary, Ind., were recently targeted by ransomware hackers but city officials say they are already in the process of rebuilding and restoring function.

City spokesman Michael Gonzalez said the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security were brought in along with a cybersecurity firm to help with the investigation and recovery process, The Times of Northwest Indiana reports.

Gonzalez declined to say when the attack was identified or which departments were targeted, but said not all of the city’s departments were affected. He also did not disclose whether the city had paid a ransom.

“That’s all part of the investigation,” he told the newspaper.

The Times reports that it is still unclear whether anyone’s personal information was compromised by the cyberattack.

Gonzalez said, “If that has happened, we’ll work with residents to offer credit monitoring and any other assistance we can.”

“The good news is we are in the process of rebuilding all of our servers and restoring the full range of functions,” he added.

According to Gonzalez, the restoration process will take time as the city is being thorough.

Gonzalez said, “We’re going to try to determine all the costs, but we want to make sure our first priority is restoring the integrity of the entire system and making sure that everything is clean and safe.”

News of the cyberattack in Gary comes just as the Colonial Pipeline is resuming operation following a ransomware cyberattack that shut it down for nearly a week causing gas shortages across the southeast.