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How much did the ransomware attack cost the city of Washington?

Five months after a cyber-attack shut down communications for the City of Washington, local leaders are revealing what it cost.

Today, Washington City Councilman Joe Manning confirmed to 11 Investigates the city paid around $25,000 to get it's system back online.

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The ransomware attack knocked out phones and emails for city workers for more than two weeks in May. The only exception was the 911 system, which is operated by Washington County.

For months, the city refused to comment if a ransom was paid.

During a news conference Thursday, FBI Pittsburgh Assistant Special Agent in-Charge Doug Olson said ransomware attacks dropped slightly in Western Pennsylvania from 2017 to 2018, but the amount of money it's costing victims has jumped dramatically.

In 2017, there were 58 attacks in Pennsylvania leading to around $4,800 in losses. Last year, there were 55 attacks, but the cost skyrocketed to nearly $23,000.

Similar trends were seen in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

Since Washington was attacked in May, the city has taken steps to improve its cyber security infrastructure and hired a breach coach to handle the attack.

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