COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Franklin County judge granted a temporary restraining order against the
cybersecurity expert who revealed what kind of information and how much of it was taken during a cyberattack on the city last month.
The cybersecurity expert, Connor Goodwolf, has spoken with 10TV and other media outlets in the last few weeks detailing what information is on the dark web. Goodwolf is the name he uses for interviews and is not his legal name.
The city says it first learned something was wrong on July 18 when the city's department of technology "found evidence of an abnormality in its system." The city then severed its connection to the internet.
Two weeks later, the hacker group Rhysida claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had 6.5 terabytes of data. The group later released 45% of the data it took from the city.
RELATED: Full timeline shows how Columbus cyberattack played out
On Aug. 13, Mayor Andrew Ginther said the data stolen by hackers was either corrupted or encrypted, meaning it was likely useless. Hours later,
Goodwolf told 10TV that wasn't true and he showed what kind of personal information he was able to access.
Goodwolf continued to speak with 10TV about what data from the city was posted on the dark web, most recently revealing that the Columbus police crime matrix is downloadable. That database includes witness, victim and suspect information from any police report in the last 10 years. It also shows undercover police reports.
The city filed for the temporary restraining order against Goodwolf Thursday morning and it was granted later in the day. The city is seeking at least $25,000 in damages. The total amount will be determined at a trial.
By granting the temporary restraining order, the court is ordering Goodwolf to stop accessing, downloading and disseminating the city's stolen data.
In the lawsuit, the city claims Goodwolf has caused "irreparable harm" and "widespread concern throughout the Central Ohio region."
During a press conference on Thursday, City Attorney Zach Klein said this is not about suppressing Goodwolf's First Amendment right.
"This is not about speech. It's not. It's about the actual action of going on the keyboard, going into the dark web, gathering the information, downloading it to your computer and then disseminating it to people who are in the press or otherwise," Klein said.
When Klein was asked if the city is filing the temporary restraining order now to prevent more embarrassment, he said that is not the case.
"This is two and a half weeks into Connor being out there. If this was really about some sort of embarrassment, wouldn't we have filed it two and a half weeks ago? This is about the escalation of the type of data that threatens criminal investigations," Klein said.
Klein said he is working to protect officers, victims and witnesses. He adds that the information that Goodwolf has downloaded and shared is a threat to public safety.
"I am not going to let our officers down. I am not going to let our victims down. I am not going to let our witnesses down who are out there. Some witnesses are in tough cases. They put their ass on the line to go to court. They have the right to have their identity protected," Klein said.
Furthermore, the city says Goodwolf is threatening to publicly share the city's stolen data in the form of a website that he will create himself. Goodwolf previously told 10TV he does plan to set up a website, but it would only allow people to see if their name was part of the data breach.
Klein's office sent a release saying it respects the judge's decision to side with the city.
"This decision is a positive step to stem the dissemination of stolen confidential personnel and victim data—information that compromises active investigations and poses a threat to the lives and livelihoods of real people," Klein said.
The city filed four claims for relief against Goodwolf:
- Damages for criminal acts
- Invasion of privacy
- Negligence
- Civil conversion
Franklin County Common Pleas Court records show a final pretrial conference is scheduled for Sept. 18, 2025.
10TV reached out to Goodwolf for comment, but he declined.
