ALPHARETTA, Ga. — The Alpharetta City Council approved cyber security contracts to protect city computers from increasingly sophisticated hacking threats.
At their June 23 meeting, council members renewed contracts with Verinext Corp and SHI International for a total cost of $136,253.
Alpharetta Director of Information Technology Adam Montgomery declined to go into detail about the contracts for security reasons but said their aim is to protect the city’s data. That data includes private information about residents and businesses that work with the city.
Since 2010, cyber security has increasingly become a worry after a series of high-profile ransomware attacks. Ransomware is a type of malicious software that blocks users’ access unless a fee is paid.
“Those are the things that triggered us to start getting a little more proactive about protecting our assets and our information,” Montgomery said.
In 2018, hackers entered Atlanta City Hall computers, disrupting services and costing millions in damages, demanding $50,000 in cryptocurrency.
In March, hackers entered and stole data from Cobb County computers, which stored information about employees and residents.
Alpharetta has never been the victim of a widespread hack, but Montgomery said protecting the city’s computers and the data they store is essential.
“It’s the world we live in today,” he said. “Part of what we try to do is just keep as much of the current data away from the bad guys.”
Uriah Eichele, an Alpharetta cyber security expert who attended the meeting, said hackers often steal personal data from governments and businesses to sell online. The data can be used later for credit card or identity fraud.
Hackers may gain access to computers because of weak passwords or phishing, which involves emails or other communications pretending to be from a trusted source.
Phishing attacks are surprisingly effective, and even savvy computer users may fall victim, he said.
Education is a key defense against cyber-attacks, and employees can be much less vulnerable when taught how to protect themselves, he said.
“I’ve been doing this for 30 years, and I can fall for it,” he said. “They’re really, really good.”
