Sammamish Ransomware Attack: Law Enforcement Now Involved

SAMMAMISH, WA - The ransomware attack on the city of Sammamish continued through Thursday, and the city has hired a tech company to try to remedy the situation. The city is also working with law enforcement to track down the perpetrators.

"The city has contracted with LMG Security to assist with recovery; they were recommended to us by the city of Issaquah. They have been working remotely on the issue overnight and will have a team onsite later today," the update, published around 4 p.m., read.

The city is also canceling or delaying some city services due to the attack. Those include:

• The city is not processing passports, pet licenses, or permits
• Building, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical inspection requests must be made in person or by calling (425) 295-0500
• All city credit cards have been canceled

The ransomware attack was discovered on Wednesday. City Manager Larry Patterson declared an emergency, allowing up to $50,000 to be spent immediately on the problem.

The extent of the attack is still unclear, but officials say that internal computer systems have been affected.

Sammamish spokeswoman Sharon Gavin advised residents to call or drop by City Hall with questions. She said that services like SeeClickFix and the city website will remain available. However, the MyBuildingPermit service was taken down.

"This is a very fluid situation, and we want to make sure we're doing what is best for you and for the city. We are actively working on two fronts - one to deal with the attack itself; the other is to implement business continuity measures," the city wrote in a statement posted on Facebook Wednesday.

City governments, hospitals, and businesses across the U.S. have fallen victim to ransomware attacks. In an attack on the city of Atlanta last March, the attacker demanded $51,000 in bitcoin to stop the assault. The FBI later arrested to Iranian men in connection to the attack.

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