SHEBOYGAN — The City of Sheboygan is investigating a cyberattack on its network and a ransom message.
Here’s what we know so far:
- There was a potential network issue a week and a half ago
- There was an external, unauthorized access to the network
- The network has since been secured, and a forensic review is underway
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: City of Sheboygan investigates cyberattack and demand for ransom
Now, it’s a matter of figuring out “Who got in, how long have they been there, what have they done and what do they want to do?” according to cybersecurity expert Brian Collins.
He co-founded PanaTech, a Sheboygan-based company that offers cybersecurity services. I asked Collins to weigh in on the city’s attack.
"It tells you, they didn't have anything in place that was actively monitoring the different types of activity on a network,” he explained.
"It's always a good idea to get in front of it and be as transparent as possible so that people aren't losing sleep at night wondering if their information [was leaked] or if they should go change their bank account info."
The city sent an update Sunday night, stating it had “not discovered evidence that any sensitive personal information has been compromised by this incident."
Watch: Local cybersecurity expert weighs in on City of Sheboygan ransom attack
I received this additional information when reaching out to the mayor’s office:
Public safety services are responding to all emergent and nonemergent requests for service with limited interruptions. The phone system and radio network are fully functional. This issue is not affecting safety in any way. City of Sheboygan employees with internet access can communicate with each other online as all cloud-based services are up and working.
Collins said it’s harder to identify when someone has breached firewalls nowadays.
"You get in, and you're quiet. It's like little ninja hackers,” he noted.
He added that even changing passwords and avoiding sketchy links are nearly a thing of the past.
"Now it's like multi…double or triple factor authentication… Something is sent to another device to confirm it's you."
The city of Sheboygan said it will continue to update the public as more information comes out.
