A ransomware attack has hit some municipal computers in New Jersey's most populous city, Newark, TAPInto Newark reported on Monday, citing the city's CIO Seth Wainer and a document obtained by the media outlet.
According to the report, on Friday and over the weekend the malware encrypted infected files with an RAS-2048 algorithm, and the hacker demanded a ransom payment of 24 bitcoins, or approximately $30,000.
"The virus compromised our network and disrupted many services that we offer," Wainer told TAPInto Newark. "Our police services are unaffected and continue operating normally," adding that the city is in “safe mode as we inspect each service to look for security gaps."
In April of 2016, a cyberattack on the Newark Police Department brought down systems used to track and analyze crime data and to dispatch officers.
