The hackers who targeted the City of Dallas earlier this year with a ransomware attack accessed servers that contained people's personal information. The City has issued a formal notice of the attack with some new details about the data that was affected.
The hackers got files containing names, Social Security numbers, addresses, health insurance and medical information. City officials say they're not aware of any identity theft or fraud stemming from the attack, but they are offering two years of free credit monitoring and identity-theft protection services to the people who were affected. They will notify those people by mail. Those letters are required by law.
The City of Dallas has also established a dedicated response center. People who think they may have been affected but don't receive a notification letter can call 833-627-2708 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
The group representing Dallas Firefighters is criticizing the city's response to the attack.
"From the beginning the DFFA and DPA demanded protection only to be told that we had nothing to worry about," the Dallas Fire Fighters Association wrote in a message posted on-line. The group also criticized the communication on the matter from City Manager T.C. Broadnax.
The Dallas Fire Fighters Association had demanded five years of credit monitoring and identity-theft protection after news of the attack became public. The City Manager sent an email to nearly 1,200 employees in June offering free credit monitoring, but noting that there was no proof at that time that any information from city employees or residents had been publicly released.
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Tell your Smart Speaker to "PLAY 1080 KRLD"
Sign Up to receive our KRLD Insider Newsletter for more news