‘Holy moly!’: Inside Texas’ fight against a ransomware hack

A file photo of signs on a bank of computers telling visitors that the machines are not working at the public library in Wilmer, Texas. The Associated Press has learned new details about a ransomware attack that affected roughly two dozen Texas communities two years ago. Thousands of pages obtained by AP and interviews with people involved show Texas communities struggled for days with disruptions to core government services as workers in small cities and towns endured a cascade of frustrations brought on by the sophisticated cyberattack. — AP

DALLAS: It was the start of a steamy Friday two Augusts ago when Jason Whisler settled in for a working breakfast at the Coffee Ranch restaurant in the Texas Panhandle city of Borger. The most pressing agenda item for city officials that morning: planning for a country music concert and anniversary event.

Then Whisler’s phone rang. Borger’s computer system had been hacked.