On Thursday, March 22, 2018, Atlanta’s municipal computer systems fell victim to a ransomware attack. As a result, the city began executing a large proportion of its business on paper, or not at all, and postponing court dates. With customer and employee data potentially compromised, the municipal government encouraged anyone who had ever done business with the city to take precautions such as checking their bank accounts and credit reports. The ransom was approximately $51,000.
Ransomware is a form of malware that blocks...