Hackers demand ransom after attack on Delaware libraries

Computer labs at Delaware libraries across the state are closed after hackers on Friday seized control of the virtual servers that run the facility’s public-use computers, according to Delaware Division of Libraries Director Annie Norman.

The hackers now are demanding money from the state in order to relinquish control of the system, Norman said. She did not know the exact amount demanded but said she “heard” it was around $1 million.

Norman added that she will direct the Division of Libraries not to pay any ransom, insisting instead that the Delaware libraries rebuild the servers that run the public’s computers.

She did not immediately know when the rebuild will occur, nor when the public-access computers will again be available.

“We see a lot of stories about this around the nation, and it seems to be recommended not to pay the ransom, but to rebuild,” she said.

The hack marks the latest in a trend of high-profile breaches of local government computer systems across the United States. On its website, the FBI notes that state and local governments have been “particularly visible targets for ransomware attacks.”

Last year, Kent County’s local government experienced what it called “a hostile network intrusion” which downed its webpage and rendered its office phones unusable for more than a month.

Last month, the Bayhealth health care system based in Dover was also reportedly hit by hackers, who were offering much of the stolen data on dark web boards for upward of $1.4 million in Bitcoin.

The Division of Libraries technology staff has been consulting with officials from Microsoft and with the Delaware Department of Technology and Information, Norman said. They still are trying to determine “what happened and where they got it,” she said.

A spokeswoman from Delaware DTI declined to provide details about their consultancy.

In the days since the hack on Friday, several local libraries, including the Newark Free Library, posted updates on social media sites about their public computer terminals not working. They did not reveal that the system had been the victim of a ransomware attack.

On Monday, the Division of Libraries posted a note on its website stating that libraries are “experiencing an extended system/internet outage that is affecting some, not all, library services.”

Norman’s division oversees more than 30 libraries across the state. Each operates a computer lab that offers free access to the internet and low-cost printing. The labs are relied upon by a cross section of society, especially people without regular access to the internet.

Norman stressed that the libraries remain open and still have WiFi, though she said it has been “a little spotty.”

She also emphasized that library card holders’ information is not currently at risk.

“The good news is — thank God there’s some good news — is it’s not affecting the catalog, which is where there’s patron information,” she said.