RICHMOND, Texas (KTRK) — Records ABC13 obtained show just how much money Fort Bend County spent rebuilding its security system following a cyberattack that crippled libraries for months.
Fort Bend County libraries are back online after services were shuttered for months
Earlier this year, Fort Bend County library director Roosevelt Weeks said a cyber incident took place. He didn’t provide many other details about what exactly happened.
Days after the announcement, ABC13 asked for records tied to the incident. The county asked the attorney general’s office to withhold the information.
The AG’s office sided with Eyewitness News. This summer, ABC13 received thousands of documents from the library director, IT director and county judge.
RELATED: Documents reveal how a massive ransomware attack crippled the Fort Bend County libraries system
In the documents, the IT director called this the largest cyberattack in the county’s history. Records reveal hackers got into the library system, compromised everything, and demanded a ransom be paid to restore everything.
A risk assessment done in the days following the attack outlined issues the county IT department found with the library. It found outdated operating systems, unsupported hardware, a lack of security monitoring, and publicly exposed servers and computers.
Six months after the incident, the library system held “re-launch” events letting the public know its services were back online.
New records show how much rebuilding the system cost taxpayers
After the county celebrated the library reopening, ABC13 asked how much money it took to restore the libraries systems. Fort Bend County Judge KP George told ABC13 it was a major challenge that demanded a major investment.
Documents show the investment was nearly $6 million.
The county spent about $1 million on new equipment, $3.8 million on software and another $1 million on new IT staff. The total cost was $5.8 million.
The documents show they used federal and county dollars.
This summer, we spoke with San Jacinto College cybersecurity senior director, Rizwan Virani. He told us the rebuild wouldn’t be cheap.
“There’s so much to catch-up on that it’s very time consuming,” Virani explained. “It’s going to be expensive.”
County officials said this year, the library system’s operating budget is $24 million. The cyberattack spending means the county spent about 25% more on the library than it originally budgeted.
ABC13 asked library leaders how much it would’ve cost to upgrade security prior to the attack. Records reveal staff wanted to do, but Eyewitness News didn’t get an answer.
Money was also spent on the re-launch parties
The re-launch events held at all libraries during the first week of September included giveaways, food and decorations. ABC13 asked about the cost to hold the events.
The library director said 1,000 people attended the events, and that some supplies were donated.
However, he said about $380 from taxpayers was spent on the festivities.
Changes were made outside of hardening the security system
Prior to the attack, Commissioner Andy Meyers said the library IT team shouldn’t have been its own entity outside of the county IT department. After the attack, he told ABC13, the library IT is now under the county IT department’s umbrella.
“Cybersecurity is and has been a highly technical and rapidly evolving field, which is why for more than 20 years I advocated for integrating the Fort Bend County Libraries’ computer system into the county’s IT infrastructure to strengthen the level of protection. Unfortunately, over my objections, the majority of Commissioners Court opted for a riskier route which contributed to the incident that has cost Fort Bend County taxpayers close to $6 million. I am grateful that Commissioners Court recently made the right decision by confirming the role of the County’s professional IT cyber experts to make our systems safer and more robust.” – Commissioner Andy Meyers, Fort Bend County Pct. 3
Eyewitness News reached out to Commissioners Grady Prestage, Dexter McCoy and Vincent Morales about the money spent on the library. We have not heard back.
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