Cyberattack in Sanxenxo: City does not pay ransom despite ransomware threat

The city government of Sanxenxo in the Spanish region of Galicia has become the target of a massive cyberattack. Unknown hackers encrypted extensive administrative data and blocked access to the municipal systems, causing essential services for the nearly 17,000 residents to come to a halt.

The Ransomware Attack in January

The attack occurred at the end of January and completely shut down the municipal servers. According to the news portal ChainCatcher, the attackers managed to encrypt thousands of administrative files and documents. As a result, city and administrative services have been functioning only intermittently since then, and many public processes had to be temporarily suspended.

Ransom Demand in Bitcoin

The cybercriminals demanded a ransom of $5,000 in Bitcoin. This typical tactic in ransomware attacks was intended to prompt the city government to pay quickly. However, the authorities took a different approach and immediately reported the incident to the Spanish Civil Guard to initiate an investigation.

Firm Refusal and Data Recovery

Instead of paying the ransom, the city government chose to resist. The authorities are systematically working on restoring their systems, supported by regularly performed data backups. This preventive measure proved crucial: the city can gradually restore its functionality without paying the ransom. The approach demonstrates how important daily backup procedures can protect organizations from extortion attempts.