#TorontoPublicLibrary Recovers from #Ransomware Attack

by Matt Enis
Jan 17, 2024

"The Toronto Public #Library (#TPL) is in the final stages of recovering from a ransomware attack on October 28, 2023 that shut down the library’s internal network, website, and public computers. Although TPL managed to keep all of its 100 branches open and host programs throughout the ordeal, patrons were unable to access their library accounts online or use the library’s computers for more than two months. And while TPL has also continued to manually check out print books and other physical materials, the library has been unable to process holds or check the materials back in when they are returned.

“'We’ve got 12 53-foot tractor trailers filled with returns—well over a million items,' Toronto’s City Librarian Vickery Bowles told LJ in early January. 'Ransomware is becoming so pervasive, and it’s affecting organizations dedicated to community well-being such as hospitals, schools, and libraries, of course. I really feel that #PublicSector organizations are becoming targets.”

"According to the '2023 Palo Alto Networks Canada Ransomware Barometer' report, which includes analysis of a survey of IT professionals conducted by Angus Reid Group, 35 percent of Canadian businesses with at least 100 employees were hit by ransomware attacks during the past year. Fifty-eight percent of those businesses needed more than a month to recover from an attack, while 24 percent took longer than four months. The report notes that cyber criminals appear to be targeting manufacturing businesses 'significantly more' than other types of Canadian businesses and institutions, but “today’s threat actors do not discriminate against specific industries.” In fact, the #BritishLibrary was hit with a separate ransomware attack on the same day as TPL last fall, the #LondonPublicLibrary in #Ontario was attacked in December, and the #TorontoZoo was attacked earlier this month.

“'In the case of #PublicLibraries, I think [#CyberAttacks] are particularly troublesome, because we’re dedicated to equality and access to information and intellectual freedom and openness to all,' Bowles said, adding that this attack has impacted people throughout the community, especially patrons who rely on TPL for access to public computers and other technology. 'I think this represents an attack on the very essence of civil society. That's what I think is really troubling about all this—when I hear about the impact this is having on people like students, #lowincome communities, youth, #jobseekers, [people] who don’t have any other resources other than what the library can offer. It’s just heartbreaking.'"

Read more:
https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/toronto-public-library-recovers-from-ransomware-attack

#TorontoLibrary