A ransomware attack forces city streetlights to "misbehave"
Leicester City, England, is still facing issues with its street lighting system as a result of a recent cyberattack.
While street lights are typically turned on and off at dawn and nightfall, over the past six weeks, street lights in Leicester have stayed on both day and night. In some cases, street lights remain illuminated on one side of the street while turned off on the other.
Residents have observed and commented on this unusual conduct. When one person contacted Leicester City Council about the problem, he was told that the cyber assault had compromised the 'central operating system' for the street lights, causing them to "misbehave."
What happened?
The cyber attack in issue occurred on March 7th, this year, and has been described as "highly sophisticated."
The INC Ransom gang is notorious for attacking governments, education, and healthcare organizations all throughout the world. Attackers appear to have stolen documents from the Leicester City Council, several of which have emerged online.
When the Leicester City Council IT staff saw indicators of an approaching problem, they removed systems from the internet, which is customary best practice in the case of a ransomware assault.
Local impact
Locals are concerned about the unintentional and continual activation of street lights because of the significant energy usage and costs involved.
"The lights in my area have been burning all day and night, so it will cost a lot," said resident Roger Ewens. The City Council plans to resolve the matter by the end of the first week of May.
A spokeswoman for Leicester City Council indicated that IT services were shut down as a precautionary measure following the attack. As a result, specialists are unable to fix issues with the street lighting system at this time.
The representative explained that the default option for such lights is to remain 'on' in the event of system failures, maintaining road safety and preventing unlit regions from becoming dangerous.
Technical details
More technical readers may be surprised to learn that these street lights are controlled centrally. All that is required is for the street lights to turn on at dark and off at dawn, which could ostensibly be controlled by an ambient light sensor.
Nonetheless, a handful of towns are replacing ambient lighting sensors with wireless controls. This potentially gives operators greater flexibility and the ability to turn lights on and off in a way that reduces energy use.
More information
The Council said it is collaborating with Leicestershire Police and the National Cyber Security Centre to examine the incident. The city will not pay a ransom.
The Council is also committed to carefully resolving any issues through a series of restorative procedures. Efforts will be made to restore regular operation of the street lighting system as soon as practicable.
Source: Cybertalk.org
