3. Redcar And Cleveland Council (England)

Recovery And Mitigation Costs: $13.6 Million To $22.2 Million

A ransomware cyberattacks on Feb. 8 forced Redcar and Cleveland council staff off council computers, tablets and mobile devices for three weeks, forcing them to instead rely on “pen and paper,” the Guardian reported. In the weeks following the attack, the council was forced to build a new server and website and mobilize a temporary call center, according to council leader Mary Lanigan.

But as of late February, the Guardian reported the council website was still not functioning properly and residents complained of being cut off repeatedly when ringing the local authority as instructed, instead of emailing. Events several weeks away had been cancelled, with officials blaming the IT problems, according to the Guardian.

One Redcar and Cleveland councilor told the Guardian they had been advised it would take several months and cost between $13.6 million an $22.2 million to repair the damage – far more than the $9.1 million funding grant the council is set to receive in 2020/2021 from the central government. A council spokesman told that Guardian in late February they didn’t have an official cost figure for the clean-up.