City of Abilene still picking up the pieces after cyberattack

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – The City of Abilene is taking the next step in recovering from a cyberattack that affected many city functions.

The City of Abilene is still undergoing rebuilding efforts after a cyberattack this past April left many of the city’s services on lockdown. Two items are on the agenda for the next city council meeting that are dedicated to the rebuilding efforts.

The first item is the acquisition of server products and parts, and the second agenda item focuses on recovering information from more than 500 electronic devices used by city personnel. Abilene’s new City Manager, Emily Crawford, outlined how these can be costly endeavors, but compensation efforts are already in place to cover this expense. 

“This is a cost. However, it is a reimbursable amount through the city’s cybersecurity insurance. In essence, there will be no net cost to the city for this,” Crawford explained.

Crawford went on to say that the agenda item focusing on city-owned electronic devices will concentrate on recovering any possible information about the attack from these devices, as well as digitally cleaning them so that they can be recirculated and reused by city staff.