Dear Ward 11 Residents,
As part of the City of Hamilton's ongoing efforts to address the recent cybersecurity incident, we would like to update you on the progress made thus far. The City's focus has now shifted from incident response to recovery and rebuilding the IT systems.
Throughout this process, the City's primary goal has been to contain and isolate City infrastructure to prevent further harm from cybercriminals. The City is now stating that while the situation is considered ongoing, they have successfully completed this initial containment phase, and their attention has turned to the recovery stage. This involves prioritizing the restoration and reconstruction of critical systems, as well as conducting extensive testing to ensure their safe and secure operation.
The City of Hamilton have been collaborating closely with cybersecurity experts and various levels of authorities, including forensic analysts investigating the criminals' activities within City systems. As the Hamilton Police Services have local jurisdiction, they are maintaining the lead on this investigation, but several levels of authority, from municipal to international, have been notified.
Additionally, Mayor Horwath and City Manager Cluckie both stated that this was a ransomware attack conducted by sophisticated cyber-criminals, and that the City of Hamilton has refused to pay the ransom. They further explained, that to date, it appeared that while some data had been encrypted or "locked" from access, there was no current evidence that data had been copied or transferred to external sources.
“I want to express my thanks to Hamiltonians for their patience and understanding over the last few weeks,” said Mayor Andrea Horwath. “As City staff continue to prioritize the response to this cybersecurity incident, I want to assure residents that we are taking this matter very seriously and are doing everything we can to minimize the impact and protect the community.”
We are proud to report that essential services, such as curbside waste collection, public transit, water and wastewater treatment, and emergency services, have remained operational throughout this incident. Councillor Tadeson and the Ward 11 office have been responding to all resident requests throughout this incident. Moreover, the City has continued to deliver most programs and services by implementing manual processes or exploring alternative delivery methods.
Service updates include:
The Customer Contact Centre (905-546-2489) is available to address residents' concerns and inquiries.
Development applications, building permits, and inspections continue to be processed.
Council and Committee meetings are set to resume on March 27, 2024.
Marriage license and burn permit applications can be processed manually at City Hall and at Municipal Service Centers.
Payments to vendors are being made, and support payments continue to be processed.
Guest Wi-Fi connectivity is now available at most libraries.
Municipal Service Centres and Transfer Stations can now accept all forms of payment.
We have received many questions regarding automatic tax payments and our colleagues at the City have told us that their previous advice remains: If your property tax normally comes out automatically, do not pay in person; leave the payment in your account to be withdrawn when it becomes possible for the City to do so. There will be no late charges or fees added to your property tax account due to this incident.
“City staff are really rising to the occasion, and I am so grateful to our team of experts who continue to work around the clock to respond to this incident and find creative ways to deliver the services our community relies on each day,” said Marnie Cluckie, City Manager. “We are committed to providing service to Hamiltonians and recovering safely and securely.”
For the latest updates on service disruptions and a list of frequently asked questions, please visit hamilton.ca/cyberincident.
Thank you for your continued understanding and support during this time. Please email us for prompt response for any of your Ward 11 needs: ward11@hamilton.ca
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