A local water district was reportedly hit with a ransomware attack after both the City of Dallas and Dallas County suffered similar attacks earlier this year.
Officials with the North Texas Municipal Water District said on Tuesday that the “cybersecurity incident” impacted its computer network and phone system but water services are still operating.
“Our core water, wastewater, and solid waste services to our member cities and customers have not been impacted by this incident, and we continue to provide those services as usual,” said spokesperson Alex Johnson, per The Dallas Morning News.
Johnson said law enforcement was notified and forensic specialists have been recruited to investigate the attack. While the phone system is still down, most of the computer system access has been restored.
“The investigation is ongoing at this time and includes a review of any potentially impacted District data,” the district said, per WFAA.
A ransomware and extortion group known as “DAIXIN Team” claimed responsibility for the attack on the dark web and threatened to leak stolen data.
DAIXIN Team said the stolen information includes names, dates of birth, Social Security Numbers, and medical record information.
The North Texas Municipal Water District said it will “update our Member Cities, Customers, and other stakeholders with additional information about the incident, as appropriate,” per the DMN.
In May, the City of Dallas was hit with a ransomware attack which led to hackers posting sensitive information from 26,000 people, including children, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Dallas County similarly suffered a cybersecurity attack in October which resulted in data being stolen and posted online.
Over the summer, a group of self-identified “gay furry hackers” attacked the City of Fort Worth in retaliation for state legislation prohibiting the administration of gender-altering drugs and procedures to minors.
The same group of “gay furry hackers” reportedly hacked a nuclear laboratory in Idaho last week, as reported by The Dallas Express.
