STAFF REPORT :::
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has recovered nearly all of the $802,499.21 stolen from the city of Griffin during a June 2019 cyberattack.
According to a press release issued by the city of Griffin, $789,065.16 was recovered by the FBI, and of the remaining $13,434.05 deficit, the city will pay a $10,000 deductible and be reimbursed the balance of $3,434.05 by the city’s Cyber Crimes insurance policy.
“More than 40 municipalities have been victims of cyberattacks this year and unfortunately we were one of them. Due to the quick action on the part of our employees and the diligent work of the FBI, we were one of the few municipalities to recover our assets without significant loss,” said Griffin City Manager, Kenny Smith.
It is the goal of every organization to prevent a cyberattack. However, should an organization find that they have been targeted, the FBI recommends taking swift action.
“When the City of Griffin fell victim to the Business Email Compromise (BEC) scheme, they took the best possible action they could have taken by notifying the FBI immediately,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Hacker of FBI Atlanta. “Because of that quick action, our cyber squad was able to investigate and work with a team of private and public partners, ultimately recovering the majority of funds for the City. The FBI takes the BEC threat very seriously and we are working diligently to identify these perpetrators and dismantle their organizations.”
For the past few years, the city of Griffin has been providing ongoing awareness training, as well as technical prevention methods to combat cyberattacks. The city is committed to continuing these efforts to prevent future cyber crime occurrences.
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Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
