Augusta government data has been hacked, but the unidentified infiltrators have made no ransom demand, Mayor Garnett Johnson said Friday.
Johnson and Augusta commissioners spent two-and-a-half hours with FBI agents behind closed doors Friday but emerged with little new information about the attack and refused to answer any additional questions.
Since last week, city phone systems, email and certain bill-payment systems have been out of service. Johnson announced Tuesday that a bad actor infiltrated the systems but has provided no further information about what has been compromised.
Media reports have tied the attack to BlackByte, a ransomware group that targets Windows systems using a “double-extortion” method of both stealing and encrypting data. The FBI and U.S. Secret Service issued a warning about the group last year.
“An unauthorized actor has gained access to certain Augusta, Ga., computer systems,” Johnson read from a statement Friday. “We are aware of reports that a cyber crime group is claiming responsibility for this event and they are in possession of Augusta data.”
But if Augusta data is being held, no group has asked for money, Johnson said.
“At this time, we are not in communication with this group,” he said. “No ransom demand has been communicated to the city of Augusta.”
The mayor and commission had refreshments as the huddled behind closed doors for the extended period, over the media’s advice they limit discussion to matters protected by Georgia open meetings law.
The Augusta Press Senior Reporter Scott Hudson was denied the opportunity to speak to the commission, but attempted in open session to inform them any closed-door discussion of “cyber security” must be limited to briefings by law enforcement and discussion of a legal remedy.
“Any discussion beyond that point must be held in public,” Hudson said. “The public has a right to know if their private information has been compromised. Therefore, it is incumbent upon you, Mayor Johnson, to open the meeting back up to the public if the discussion strays from the boundaries of the law.”
