...Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
This ordinance authorizes the Director of the Department of Technology, through the City Attorney, to enter into a second contract modification and first amendment to the general terms of engagement with Dinsmore & Shohl LLP (“Dinsmore”), Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP (“Vorys”), and the cybersecurity expert, Haystack, to enter to allow for the incorporation of a Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) Criminal Justice Information Services (“CJIS”) Security Addendum as required for the continued investigation into the cybersecurity incident of July 2024 (“Incident”).
On July 18, 2024, the city's Department of Technology discovered evidence of an abnormality in its system, one that was unrelated to a co-occurring global IT outage. The city took swift action to significantly limit potential exposure, including severing internet connectivity, to reduce the threat to the city's systems.
On July 30, 2024, Mayor Ginther executed a Mayor’s Emergency Letter and declared the incident a clear and present danger to public health, safety, welfare or property. The City Attorney entered into a legal professional services contract with Dinsmore to provide breach counsel services in response to the Incident. The Department, through the City Attorney, chose Dinsmore due to its being a law firm with a national reputation for data breach response excellence that also has a strong presence in Ohio. Dinsmore's attorneys have decades of experience in cybersecurity incident response.
In October 2024, the contract with Dinsmore was modified in order to add funding to cover additional costs that were required to be incurred due to the Incident. Ordinance 2579-2024 was passed by Council on October 7, 2024.
In September 2024, the City Attorney entered into a legal professional services agreement with Vorys to provide legal services to the City in connection with litigation arising from the Incident including cases pending in the Franklin County Cour...
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