Truth & Consequences- Cyber Security Corrective Measures

In a previous piece published by The Hamiltonian (see it here), we argued that the City of Hamilton must take appropriate action—up to and including the termination of staff—against those responsible for creating a weakened security environment that allowed cyber criminals to penetrate the city’s systems. This breach severely compromised essential services the public is entitled to receive.

While such an outcome is never celebrated, accountability is essential. Negligence and failure to safeguard the public’s interests must carry consequences. As we noted earlier, the repercussions of this failure were not minor but severe, and they continue to be felt across the city.

One must ask whether the City would have taken the necessary steps absent the public pressure brought to bear by The Hamiltonian and by other media outlets. To the City’s credit—and giving them the benefit of the doubt—we now present their recent press release, in which they outline the measures taken in response. Notably, the release specifically acknowledges terminations.

We sincerely hope this marks the beginning of a cultural shift within City Hall—one in which the interests of the public are placed firmly and consistently at the forefront.

Here is the press release:

Strengthening Accountability in Technology and Security

HAMILTON, ON – As part of our ongoing commitment to accountability and transparency following the cybersecurity incident, the City of Hamilton is taking intentional steps to reinforce trust, protect digital technology and security infrastructure and safeguard information and the reliability of City services.

To further enhance our cyber resilience, we have taken several actions and implemented several changes to put a structure in place that is more capable of addressing critical needs:

Enhanced Accountability and Dedicated Departmental Leadership: Realigned the Information Technology (IT) Department to report directly to a newly created Chief Information Officer (CIO) role that provides strategic leadership in advancing our technology capabilities and ensuring our systems continue to meet the needs of the organization and community.

Stronger Focus on Security: Recruited the City’s first Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) to further enhance our focus on safeguarding information and systems, who will lead enterprise-wide efforts in security risk management, compliance and monitoring.

Leadership Changes: Made changes to several management-level staffing positions, including terminations. As with many organizational realignments, these changes were necessary to support the new direction and objectives. While the City cannot comment on individual personnel matters out of respect for privacy and legal obligations, all decisions were made with the long-term interests of the City and our residents in mind.

Ongoing improvements to digital safeguards: Introduced enhanced security protocols, such as multi-factor authentication and improved monitoring, to strengthen cybersecurity resilience and protect systems from future threats.

Leadership and Structural Changes Drive Digital Resilience

The leadership transition marks a critical milestone in the City’s “Build Better and Stronger” initiative, launched in direct response to the February 2024 cybersecurity incident. As we rebuild and modernize our infrastructure, we are taking deliberate steps to strengthen digital resilience, efficiency and smart investment in public systems.

“We’ve taken this challenge as an opportunity to rebuild, strengthen our systems and improve how we serve the community,” said Marnie Cluckie, City Manager. “The cyber incident was devastating for the City and our community, and we acknowledge that as a result we lost trust. This work is about more than technology - it’s about building back that trust and being more accountable and transparent as we deliver the secure, dependable services our residents rely on.”

By applying lessons learned, holding ourselves accountable and implementing systemic change, the City is ensuring our infrastructure is secure, our operations are dependable and our services remain uninterrupted.

With renewed leadership, strengthened accountability and a clear vision, the City is building a safer, more resilient digital future that Hamiltonians can trust and depend on.

Quick Facts:

On February 25, 2024, the City of Hamilton was the target of a deliberate and aggressive cybersecurity attack. A well-organized group of cybercriminals broke into City systems and caused significant disruption to City services and operations.

The ongoing investigation into this cyberattack is led by the Hamilton Police Service, with support from provincial and federal agencies.

Responding to and recovering from this incident, cost the City approximately $18.3 million through June 2025. To manage these costs responsibly, a three-year funding plan was introduced as part of the 2025 Tax Budget. This plan uses existing project funding and prioritizes resources to reduce the long-term impacts on taxpayers.

Additional Resources:

Web page: City of Hamilton | Cybersecurity Incident: Recovery & Transformation

Media Release: City of Hamilton | Cybersecurity Update: City provides more incident details