What crime victims in the Columbus data leak should know

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — NBC4 is getting new reactions from Columbus leaders about our reporting on the ransomware attack on the city and learning more about how victims can protect themselves.

It comes a day after NBC4 Investigates revealed the hack impacted the personal data of hundreds of thousands of private citizens, despite what leaders had been saying. Both the mayor and city attorney issued statements; we have included these at the bottom of this article.

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Some of the data, which our cybersecurity expert Connor Goodwolf showed NBC4 Investigates, comes right from the city attorney’s office and includes personal information about victims that now is on the dark web.

That private data, now exposed, also belongs to police officers who have been subpoenaed in city attorney cases as well as defendants. There was also information from people who’d experienced domestic violence.

“It’s not just physical safety. It’s also safety online. What are some resources that you guys offer to keep survivors safe when it comes to their information being online?” NBC4 Investigates Isabel Cleary asked.

“There are toolkits for survivors to work on by themselves or with an advocate to help protect their information and be more tech savvy, know how abusers might use their data or information and to protect themselves better against that,” Maria York of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network said.

There are tools, like the Safety Net Project, that help survivors walk through how to secure their devices, location and much more.

“It’s a fantastic resource for survivors and for advocates to work together around technology, safety and privacy and confidentiality,” York said.

The information on the dark web includes names, addresses and social security numbers. NBC4 Investigates checked in with Columbus area resources about what domestic violence survivors should be doing right now to stay safe.

“Change your passwords regularly, that you have alerts set on for your bank. Is there any movement on there that shouldn’t be happening?” CHOICES Director of Operations Trisa Raudabaugh said.

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If that advice sounds familiar, it’s because it’s what experts say everyone should be doing. However, for survivors, extra steps can be taken in a situation like this one that may be bringing up recent or old trauma.

“Technology is a new thing for us and exciting. But at the same time, it allows us vulnerabilities that we haven’t been exposed to before. The same as with survivors,” Raudabaugh said.

That safety plan can look like mapping a new route to work, paying more attention to your surroundings or even getting support with a move.

“We do safety planning here because it is so individualized. Anyone can call our 24-hour crisis line and they would be able to assist them with that specifically because the safety plan that may work today at 4 p.m. May not work tomorrow at 4 p.m.,” Raudabaugh said.

A cybersecurity expert also shared advice on what survivors should be doing.

“Anything that you can do to change things. So if in that information there was, you know, your old email address, stop paying attention to it. Get another one. It’s just one of those things where you got to change as much of that data about you as you can,” cyber security expert Jason Kent said.

For anyone, Kent says to be aware of context phishing scams. These will look like emails with your personal information in them. It could look real, but he says be careful.

A good piece of advice he told NBC4 is if you get a call that you think sounds real, ask them for a callback number. If it’s a scam, he says they usually hang up.

If you or a loved one needs help in a domestic violence situation, call the CHOICES 24-hour crisis line. The number is 614-224-HOME (4663). 

“I am aware of recent reports that data containing certain identifying information of crime victims and other citizens could have been accessed during the criminal cyber attack on the City’s IT infrastructure and may have been exposed on the dark web. I take this very seriously because our mission is and always will be to serve and protect victims. The City Attorney’s Office will continue to do all that we can to protect our community and victims, both in and out of the courtroom. Moreover, we will continue to support ongoing efforts of the Department of Technology and the City’s experts, as well as the FBI and Homeland Security, as they sort through the possible exposure of personal information by these criminals. “Please know that independent of this cyber incident, there are resources available if you are a victim of domestic violence. Please contact CHOICES at 614-224-4663.”

Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein

“Yesterday, I shared information that had been verified through our cybersecurity investigation. This information was shared in good faith, was based upon rigorous investigation and reliable sources, and was shared an in effort to offer transparency into the events of the past weeks.We are now aware that an individual has come forward with information. We are pursuing this information with the foremost concern of protecting and serving Columbus residents. We are actively evaluating additional resources to support the public and the city. As we continue to investigate, we will act on and share verifiable information.”

Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther

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