COLUMBUS, Ind. — The city of Columbus is taking steps to prevent a cyber security breach.
The Board of Public Works and Safety unanimously approved an insurance policy to protect personal information, data, business interruption and security. In recent months there have been seven attempts to attack the IT systems with ransomware. The annual premium for the security product is $8,165.15 and the policy has a $1 million limit. Dan Fox, from Johnson-Witkemper Insurance, believes the cost could go down as more cities buy the coverage and more companies offer the protection policy.
In December 2016, hackers hit 75 servers and 600 personal computers owned by Madison County, Indiana. Attackers demanded, and received $20,000 to regain access to county-owned information. The county also spent another $190,000 for an off-site data storage facility, firewall protection, and a backup court system.
