A Cyberattack Leaves La Vila Joiosa's IT Systems 'KO' for Several Days

La Vila Joiosa Town Hall announced this morning that its IT systems have been inoperative since Wednesday due to a cyberattack. According to municipal sources, the alarm was raised after 'anomalous activity in the municipal IT systems' was detected.

After confirming the system malfunction, the local technical services verified that the problem originated from a 'ransomware cyberattack', which has rendered basic services inoperative.

A 'ransomware cyberattack' is a form of cyberattack where criminals hijack the data or systems of an individual, company, or institution and demand a ransom to restore access.

According to experts consulted by TodoAlicante, the most common entry points for such attacks are malicious emails, infected attachments, compromised websites, or unpatched software vulnerabilities.

Once inside, the malware encrypts system files or blocks complete access to the device, rendering them unusable for the user. It is then that the criminals make their ransom demand, displaying a message requiring payment (usually in cryptocurrencies) in exchange for the decryption key to recover the files. Furthermore, those same experts explain, 'some types of ransomware threaten to publish sensitive information if the ransom is not paid, a tactic known as double extortion.'

In any case, La Vila Joiosa Town Hall has reported that 'at this moment, the damage caused is being assessed while the service is being restored.' To ensure that the return to normality occurs as safely as possible, the local council has stated that these operations will be 'carried out gradually, starting from a completely clean installation.' Therefore, 'all the organisation's computers will be analysed. Consequently, the Town Hall's systems will be inactive for several days.'

Currently, they add, 'work is being done with the Cybersecurity Operations Centre (COCS), under the National Cryptographic Centre, to assess the impact, analyse the causes, and take the ordered steps to return to normality as soon as possible.' Simultaneously, 'all necessary legal measures are being taken.'