The Raleigh Housing Authority (RHA) in North Carolina suffered a ransomware attack, compromising its business operations and shutting down its computer systems. The CEO of the RHA, Ashley Lommers-Johnson, said they are staying in front of the attack and working with state and federal authorities, as well as a team of National Guard cyber security experts to investigate potential data breaches.
It is currently unclear what sensitive information was stolen, and the extent of the breach is still unknown.
The attack has shut down RHA’s online payment system, and new housing applications cannot be processed, which will impact the organization’s operations significantly. While current residents can still pay their rent, they must do so in person, and maintenance requests can be made via phone.
Lommers-Johnson says they don’t know when the breach occurred, and it could take a few days to determine the extent of the damage.
This cyberattack adds to the recent string of attacks targeting US companies and infrastructure, causing operational disruption and financial damage. Organizations need to have robust cybersecurity measures and contingency plans to mitigate the impact of these attacks.
In this case, the RHA responded quickly, notifying authorities and deploying a cybersecurity team to investigate the breach.
