Tennessee State University, City of Oak Ridge and Tennessee: Tennessee city hit with ransomware attack

Ransomware Attack Disrupts City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee

The City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee a historic 31,000-resident community known for its role in the Manhattan Project is responding to a ransomware attack that has disrupted its technology systems. Officials confirmed the incident on Wednesday, stating that the city’s Information Systems Department is working with law enforcement and cybersecurity specialists to assess the impact and restore services.

While critical emergency services, including police and fire departments, remain operational via phone, the city’s website was still offline as of Thursday afternoon. Utility-related concerns can also be reported by phone, though no details on the ransomware strain or attacker demands have been disclosed. State officials have not commented on whether additional support is being provided.

Tennessee is among the states requiring public entities to report cyber incidents, reflecting a growing trend of ransomware targeting local governments. Oak Ridge’s attack marks the 18th such incident against a U.S. municipality this year, according to Emsisoft ransomware expert Brett Callow. The state has seen multiple high-profile attacks in recent years, including a 2019 Ryuk ransomware strike on Collierville ($120,000 recovery cost) and a 2020 Knoxville incident ($236,000 response expense). Tennessee State University also suffered a ransomware attack earlier this month, disrupting IT systems for over 8,000 students.

The FBI’s Memphis office previously warned of a surge in ransomware attacks targeting healthcare, manufacturing, education, and small businesses, underscoring the persistent threat to public and private sectors alike.

Source: https://therecord.media/oak-ridge-tennessee-ransomware-attack

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/tennesseeema

Oak Ridge Chamber Of Commerce cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/oak-ridge-chamber-of-commerce

"id": "TENOAK1770602192",
"linkid": "tennesseeema, oak-ridge-chamber-of-commerce",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "3/2023",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization's existence"

{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Government',
                        'location': 'Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA',
                        'name': 'City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee',
                        'size': '31,000 residents',
                        'type': 'Municipality'}],
 'description': 'The City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, a historic 31,000-resident '
                'community known for its role in the Manhattan Project, is '
                'responding to a ransomware attack that has disrupted its '
                'technology systems. Officials confirmed the incident on '
                'Wednesday, stating that the city’s Information Systems '
                'Department is working with law enforcement and cybersecurity '
                'specialists to assess the impact and restore services.',
 'impact': {'operational_impact': 'Disrupted technology systems; critical '
                                  'emergency services operational via phone',
            'systems_affected': "City's technology systems, website"},
 'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
 'references': [{'source': 'Emsisoft ransomware expert Brett Callow'}],
 'regulatory_compliance': {'regulations_violated': 'Tennessee state '
                                                   'requirement for public '
                                                   'entities to report cyber '
                                                   'incidents'},
 'response': {'law_enforcement_notified': 'Yes',
              'recovery_measures': 'Restoring services',
              'third_party_assistance': 'Cybersecurity specialists'},
 'title': 'Ransomware Attack Disrupts City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee',
 'type': 'Ransomware'}