Hamilton’s city manager, Marnie Cluckie, acknowledges that there is still a long road ahead to fully restore services that were affected by a cyberattack in late February. She notes that there is no specific timeline for getting all city systems back to normal, but estimates that it will likely take the better part of the year to fully recover. A significant portion of the city’s servers were encrypted during the attack, requiring review, scrubbing, sanitization, and movement to a clean environment. Despite this setback, the bulk of the city’s core services are still operational, but many are being handled manually at this time.
Mike Zegarac, Hamilton’s general manager of finance and corporate services, announces that pre-authorized property tax collections should resume this month. He outlines a phase-in schedule that will begin in April, advising taxpayers to monitor their upcoming withdrawals for accuracy. The city hopes to return to a normal withdrawal schedule by June 1. In the meantime, payments to third-party vendors and some city employees’ payroll still require manual workarounds due to the ongoing impact of the cyberattack on office systems and business solutions.
The city’s planning division informs a sub-committee that they are continuing to advance and accept new submissions for building developments, despite the online systems still being inaccessible. Much of their work, including building inspections and enforcement requests, is being handled through email and in-person visits. The city is working with a team of third-party crisis management specialists, such as Deloitte’s cybersecurity division, to conduct a forensic analysis and rebuild the affected systems at city hall. Mayor Andrea Horwath reveals that the attackers demanded a significant sum of money from the city, which they are not paying, and that the recovery process will incur significant costs.
Despite the challenges posed by the cyberattack, Hamilton city officials are striving to ensure that essential services continue to operate and that necessary tasks are being completed through manual methods and workarounds. The city’s focus remains on gradually restoring services, such as property tax collections, and addressing the impacts of the cyberattack on office operations. The efforts to rebuild and secure the city’s systems are ongoing, with a team of experts working to conduct a forensic analysis and implement necessary measures to prevent future attacks.
Cluckie emphasizes that it will take some time before a comprehensive report detailing the events of the cyberattack, its impact, and the cost of recovery will be released to the public. The city remains committed to transparently sharing information about the incident and the steps taken to address it with the community. Despite the challenges ahead, city officials are dedicated to restoring normalcy and ensuring that residents receive the services they rely on from their local government. The cooperation with crisis management specialists and ongoing efforts to secure systems demonstrate a proactive approach to addressing cyber threats and safeguarding city operations.
