Overview

• A July 30 staff report to the general issues committee identified the city’s partial rollout of multi-factor authentication as the breach’s root cause that voided $5 million in insurer payouts.
• Hamilton declined to pay the $18.5 million ransom demand and has so far spent $18.3 million on system recovery, expert support and ongoing rebuilds.
• The city faces nearly $400,000 in monthly technology and recovery costs through November 2026 to restore municipal services.
• New cybersecurity measures have been implemented and the city’s insurance coverage has been renewed to strengthen defenses.
• Hamilton Police Service continues its investigation while city councillors raise concerns over accountability for pre-breach security shortcomings.