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Joplin: City Computer Shutdown Was Ransomware Attack

Joplin officials say the city's computer system was shut down last month by a ransomware attack. City Manager Nick Edwards announced Thursday that the city's insurer paid an unknown person $320,000 to keep sensitive information from being exposed.

Edwards said the investigation into the attack is continuing. Computer servers and programs that operated the city’s online services were shut down July 7. The city’s internet-based telephone system was restored two days after the attack. Cybersecurity firms were hired and nearly all of the systems needed for normal operations have been restored.

An investigation into what data might have been accessed is continuing.

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