A ransomware attack on Columbus, Ohio, has drawn international attention and condemnation for how city leaders mismanaged their response to the incident.
First, the mayor’s office erroneously downplayed the nature and impact of what it initially called a system “abnormality.” Then, the city obtained a gag order on a local cybersecurity expert who proved the attackers were ransomware threat actors who stole vast amounts of sensitive personal data on city employees and vulnerable residents.
The episode has left the 34th largest city in the US with a black eye and facing class-action lawsuits. Columbus has also earned the scorn of First Amendment experts who claim the city’s efforts to suppress the whistleblower’s information violate the US Constitution’s right to free speech.
Moreover, cybersecurity experts have decried the city’s efforts to muzzle one of their own. Scores of infosec professionals have staunchly defended the whistleblower, without whom, they say, misguided citizens might still believe their personal information is safe. Nonetheless, the whistleblower still faces a civil lawsuit that could cost him at least $25,000, an outcome he believes would benefit no one.
Actress Rozlyn Khan lashes out at Navjot Singh Sidhu for false claims on cancer cure, video goes viral all over the internet!