The City of Spring Hill, Tenn. was hit late last week with a ransomware attack after a government employee opened a malicious email.
The ransomware encrypted the city's system, after which a ransom note demanding a $250,000 payout appeared on computer screens. The city has refused to pay the unknown attackers and instead had tasked its IT department with rebuilding its database from backed up files, according to WMSV.
The attack has locked city workers out of their email accounts, and residents are not able to make online payments or even use payment cards to pay utility bills or court fines, or conduct any other business transaction. Instead, the city is asking that payments be made by check, and then either dropped off or mailed.
City spokesman Jamie Page told WMSV that at this time it does not appear that any information was removed from the computer system.
