CBC Report: “1 Million Books and 4 Months Later, Toronto’s Library Recovers From a Cyberattack”

From the CBC:

More than four months after a ransomware attack shut down the Toronto Public Library’s computer systems, staff are finally putting a million stranded books back on the shelves.

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The restoration of its downed services — which includes the return of nearly 5,000 employee and public computers — is a relief to library staff who have had to resort to analog workarounds for many of their daily tasks.

“We had to think through really quickly how we were going to provide as many services as possible,” said Jan Dawson, an area manager who runs 18 branches in the city’s west end.

“That involved, in the early days, pen and paper and writing down bar codes and keeping that circulation going.”

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In the case of the Toronto Public Library, victims include the employees themselves. Cybercriminals not only encrypted library files, but stole employee data, including social insurance numbers, home addresses and copies of government-issued identification documents that they’d provided to their employer. The library is still investigating the full extent of the data breach, including whether any customer, donor or volunteer information was taken.

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Filed under: Data Files, Journal Articles, Libraries, News, Public Libraries