Atlanta Ransomeware Recovery: $2.6m

ZDNet reports that Atlanta budgeted approximately $2.6 million to recover from their ransomeware incident earlier this year.

This is a small figure as far as ransomeware recovery goes. It excludes the cost of lost productivity, not just city employees but anyone who couldn’t get work done that day because of the incident. Think of contractors, plumbers, etc. waiting on permits, anyone trying to file business taxes, etc. The true cost of the incident to the city is something far north of the reported figure.

It’s also a clear example of why all organizations need backup now, not later, emergency plans for incidents like this, including how to recover when you get hit. Finally, until you’ve tested your backup and recovery procedures you can’t be sure that they work.

More from ZDNet, Atlanta procurement,