Half a million Ohio citizens have personal data stolen following ransomware attack

• City of Columbus, Ohio, confirms suffering ransomware attack
• Around 500,000 citizens thought to have had private data stolen
• Rhysida criminal group claims responsibility for attack

The City of Columbus has confirmed suffering a ransomware attack in which sensitive information on hundreds of thousands of residents was stolen.

In a breach notification letter sent to affected individuals, Ohio’s capital said it experienced a “cybersecurity incident” on July 18 2024 which apparently saw a “foreign threat actor” try to disrupt the city’s IT infrastructure, deploy ransomware, and later solicit a ransom payment.

While the city responded by containing the attack, isolating the threat actors, and bringing in third-party experts to assess the situation, the crooks managed to get away with sensitive information.

Half a million affected

“The information involved in the incident may have included your personal information, such as your first and last name, date of birth, address ...