The City Council of Calvia, a municipality on the Spanish Island of Mallorca, recently fell victim to an extortion attack. Despite the cybercriminals demanding an exorbitant ransom of 10 million euros, the city authorities have made it clear that they will not be paying. Instead, they are focusing their efforts on restoring normal services.
In response to the attack, the City Council has created a crisis cabinet to assess the extent of the damage. The cyber attack was discovered on the morning of January 13, prompting the IT service and specialists to conduct thorough checks and work on restoring affected services, according to a report on the official City Council website.
Mayor Juan Antonio Amengual, in a video message to local residents, reaffirmed the decision not to pay the ransom. This decision adheres to Spain’s commitment to combat ransomware programs, which prohibits state institutions from giving in to hackers’ demands for redemption. Spain signed the initiative to fight cybercrime last year.
The cyber attack has had significant consequences, with all administrative document management with the public being suspended until the end of January. This includes the filing of civil lawsuits and requests. The City Council has expressed its apologies for the inconvenience and has assured the public that they are determined to resolve the situation in an organized, quick, and efficient manner.