Columbus drops lawsuit against data leak whistleblower Connor Goodwolf, but with a catch [Video]

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Nearly two months after the City of Columbus hit a whistleblower with a lawsuit and order to stop discussing its data leak, both sides have reached an agreement that will result in the case being dropped.

The Columbus City Attorney’s Office originally went after Connor Goodwolf, seeking damages “greater than $25,000,” after the cybersecurity researcher disproved Mayor Andrew Ginther’s claim that city data uploaded to the dark web was “encrypted or corrupted.” Hours after Ginther made the comments, NBC4 broke the news with Goodwolf that not only were city employees’ sensitive information exposed and accessible, but the public’s as well.

On Friday, however, the city attorney’s office announced it had filed a motion to dismiss its lawsuit against Goodwolf in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. This was the outcome the researcher had been hoping for since Sept. 11, when he agreed to a preliminary injunctionthat banned him from sharing any sensitive findings …