City of Newburgh in New York says cyber attack disrupted essential public services

The city of Newburgh in New York said it experienced a data security incident that forced city officials to take several systems offline.

 

In an announcement, the City said that on June 10, the City identified a cyber security incident that affected its internal network. Officials immediately launched an investigation and engaged external cyber security experts to determine the nature and scope of the incident.

 

“This incident led to a temporary disruption of some City services and administrative functions, including the ability to process or accept payments for property taxes, water, sewer, sanitation, permit fees, and parking tickets.

 

“Beginning Monday, June 17th, the City of Newburgh will reopen City Hall and 123 Grand Street for point-of-contact business operations. City phone and email services will be restored beginning Monday at 9:00am,” the City said.

 

Officials added that 911 was fully operational but police, fire, water, sewer, sanitation, engineering and recreation departments faced minor disruptions.

 

“The City’s systems to process and accept payments will be phased in over the next seven-to-ten days, and a grace period for late property tax, water, sewer, and sanitation payments during this downtime to the City’s payment systems will be established,” City officials added.

 

In a statement shared with the media, acting City Manager Mike Neppl said, “The average downtime for the kind of network security incident the City of Newburgh faced is 22-26 days. The City’s Executive Team displayed incredible leadership and tenacity by working around the clock to bring most City services back on-line in less than a week. There is more work to do, and we will not rest until our residents have their services fully restored.”

 

The City has yet to share details on who is behind the cyber attack, the nature of the same or whether any personal data was compromised during the same. However, it has assured its residents to share more information as and when available.