T
he Houston Housing Authority has taken swift action to boost its online security following a data breach. The agency's IT director, Roy Spivey, and board chair, Jody Proler, met over the weekend to assess vulnerabilities and develop an action plan after hackers claimed to have obtained sensitive data from the agency. In response, the board authorized a $311,000 expenditure to enhance network security, including two-factor authentication on all desktop servers.

    The breach originated in a ransomware attack on September 21, which encrypted the agency's virtual servers but was initially thought to be contained by the firewall. However, a month later, Homeland Security alerted the agency about malware on one of its computers, and hackers announced they possessed 38 gigabytes of stolen data - a small fraction of the agency's total storage.

    Spivey emphasized that the agency believes the hackers did not access its Elite database, which holds residents' personal information. The approved funding will support security upgrades, including enhanced firewalls, robust file recovery, and continuous monitoring across the agency's systems. The authority plans to notify affected parties as it implements these measures.