Security News > 2020 > August > Colorado City Pays $45,000 Ransom After Cyber-Attack

Lafayette, Colorado, officials announced Tuesday the city's computer systems were hacked and they were forced to pay a ransom to regain access.
Lafayette officials said hackers disabled the city's network services and blocked its access until the city paid a $45,000 fee, the Daily Camera reported.
The attack caused city emails, phones, online payments and reservation systems to temporarily shut down.
"In a cost/benefit scenario of rebuilding the city's data versus paying the ransom, the ransom option far outweighed attempting to build," the city said in a statement.
City officials said they would be sending security-breach notifications to those who have personal information on the city's network.