The Plainfield Police Department today announced that the attackers of its systems demanded $200,000 in Bitcoin. The cyber attack, which took place in March, was part of a ransomware campaign that crippled the security institute. The hackers gained access to police and townhall computers, encrypting files and holding data hostage.
Deputy Chief Will Wolfsburg said the importance of the network cannot be exaggerated. He stated that more than 180 local, state and federal agencies transmit information into that system. It also allowed the police department to retrieve information from a pair of in-state and two national databases.
The deputy chief said that both national databases were used to conduct information research on individuals and vehicles. He reiterated that the PD used the network to see if a vehicle was stolen and the status of the driver.
Additionally, the affect security operative were unable to use electronic fingerprinting which was essential to conduct pistol permit and access previous records. Since the attack, Plainfield PD has relied on Putnam and state police to do this information.
Commenting on the impact it had on field operations, Wolfsburg said the detectives were forced to revisit several open investigations. This was because computer-stored statements, reports and other information gathered during the normal course of a criminal inquiry are still inaccessible.
The deputy chief stated that security agents had to conduct new interviews and retype reports, which meant that instead of six open cases, they were handling twelve.
Plainfield PD Takes Actions
Will Wolfsburg announced on Monday that systems has been restored. He said that the department is now able to tap back into the Connecticut On-Line Law Enforcement Communications Teleprocessing(COLLECT) network.
Operations are back to normal but the damages of the campaign cannot be erased. The deputy chief said no ransom was paid to the attackers and efforts are underway to prevent such attacks. However, the identity of the hackers has not been revealed.
Kevin Cunningham estimated the cost of upgrading the affected computers to be about $300,000 as over 65 were damaged.
