COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — A cyberattack that occurred in July has impacted over half a million individuals across the United States, as reported by the Maine Attorney General’s website.
The breach has compromised the personal information of 24 residents in Maine alone. Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther provided an update on the situation on Tuesday, highlighting the ongoing investigation. “It is challenging to speculate at this point; we are conducting a comprehensive investigation to ensure it is complete and thorough, allowing us to provide accurate information to the public,” he stated. “We hope to conclude this process in the coming months.”
When questioned about the data disclosed by Maine, Ginther refrained from speculating on its contents.
The breach has also had repercussions for residents in other states. The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office reported that 19 individuals in that state were affected by the ransomware attack that originated in Columbus. “The internet services for city employees have been restored, and we are in the process of reinstating critical systems,” Ginther noted. “We have successfully restored over 70% of those systems.”
The mayor encouraged residents to enroll in the city’s credit monitoring protection, which has now been expanded to include individuals outside of Ohio, in order to mitigate the risk of potential identity theft.
