City of Columbus Cybersecurity Event Update

Modified on Fri, 17 Jan at 1:04 PM

Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 2024 4:58 PM

Type of the Notice: Partner Cybersecurity Event Update

Level of Impact: Med

Urgency Level: Med

Press Release: Columbus Provides Notification, Extends Credit Monitoring - City of Columbus, Ohio

City Cybersecurity Event Information Page: Cybersecurity - City of Columbus, Ohio

User Action Required: Columbus residents and non-residents whose personal information was shared with the city or municipal court can sign up for free credit monitoring at www.columbus.gov/cyber or call 1-833-918-5161 with code B129833 by November 29, 2024.

Purpose: To provide an update to MORPC staff about the ongoing City of Columbus cybersecurity event.

Details: Although Franklin County and MORPC did not experience the recent cyberattack on the City of Columbus, we believe this opens an opportunity to educate our MORPC team on the risks and what is actively being done by the city to mitigate.

On Friday, August 16, the City of Columbus announced that it would offer free credit monitoring to all Columbus residents and non-residents due to the July 18^th cyberattack. All Columbus residents and non-residents whose personal information was shared with the city or municipal court can sign up for two years of free Experian monitoring. All updates from the city will be linked from www.columbus.gov/services/cybersecurity if you would like to read further about the event.

Ultimately, while there is an ongoing forensic investigation, it is believed the threat actor gained access to the city’s system through an Internet website download. Please remain cautious when downloading anything and only download files from known, trusted sources.

Tips to Protect yourself from Cyber Crime:

Do not give out your personal information unsolicited over the phone, email, or text. 
Delete and report as Junk texts from numbers you don’t recognize.
Do not reply to emails that ask you for money, and do not click on links in emails you don’t recognize.
Use different passwords for your different personal and professional accounts.
Monitor your bank and credit card statements for unauthorized use, and if you see anything, notify your bank, law enforcement, and the credit bureaus.

Should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. We appreciate YOU keeping a weather eye out for suspicious emails, websites, and phone calls!