Dallas

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says it’s investigating the Dallas ransomware attack from earlier this year. The city now says 30,253 people were impacted by the cyber attack.

A week after Dallas revealed 26,212 people have been impacted by the city’s ransomware attack, officials say it’s likely an ongoing review will find that more people had their personal information exposed.

The Dallas City Council approved nearly $8.6 million in payments for services related to the ransomware attack earlier this year, including credit monitoring for potential identity theft victims.

Officials are now saying that as many as 26,212 Texans were impacted by the ransomware attack that hit city systems between April 7 and May 4. The hackers accessed names and Social Security numbers among other information.

The city issued a formal notice for the first time about potential data being exposed since detecting the ransomware attack by hacking group Royal. Officials say the data of “certain individuals” was accessed by the group.

The Smart Surfaces Coalition will focus on leveraging data analysis through advanced mapping techniques, while helping equip residents with tech solutions like reflective and green roofs, solar energy tools and porous pavements.

In an email sent Tuesday to city employees, City Manager T.C. Broadnax said information stored by the city’s human resources department was exposed in the May cyber attack against city systems.

The North Texas Innovation Alliance brings together public and private organizations in the region, offering a coordinated approach for technology implementations — such as drones and robotics.

Two months after Dallas’ ransomware attack, lingering impacts remain. City officials say that 97 percent of the network has been restored, but the city still won’t publicly disclose all the services still impacted.

Kevin Gunn, the city’s chief technology officer, said hackers gained access to a municipal website that facilitates maintenance orders for the transportation, public works, parks and property management departments.

Dallas could use part of a proposed $1 billion bond package that it plans to ask voters to approve in 2024 to upgrade the city’s information technology system in the wake of a ransomware attack last month.

Cyber crime experts say municipalities should spend money up front to protect computer systems and educate employees about the risks — or pay millions after a crippling computer attack.

Chief Information Officer Bill Zielinski told The Dallas Morning News that the city estimates being “more than 90% complete” in restoring IT systems and services since the cyber attack.

The Dallas metro area has quietly become the new frontier for the development of autonomous trucking, with several companies from around the world setting up operations there.

Officials with the city of Dallas have not definitively outlined the full scope of the May 3 cyber attack that disrupted its systems. They have also not released whether the perpetrators demanded any sort of ransom.

Dallas police are struggling to access evidence amid an ongoing ransomware attack that is disrupting trials, according to defense lawyers who are exasperated after months of pervasive evidence storage issues.

Dallas information technology staff are still working with consultants and outside groups to help review and clean servers possibly impacted by the recent ransomware attack against the city’s network.

Dallas’ top information technology official says the city hasn’t found any signs yet that personal information from employees or residents have been leaked after a cyber attack last week.