Ransomware attack disrupts City of Flint's phone lines and payment systems

The city of Flint in the U.S. state of Michigan said it experienced a ransomware attack that affected daily operations and disrupted phone lines, the email system and online payments.

 

In an announcement, Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley said that since August 14, the City started facing network disruptions. An investigation into the incident revealed that the City was a victim of a ransomware attack that affected its internal network and created an internet outage.

 

“The FBI and Attorney General’s Office are involved in the investigation. The City’s IT Department is working with cyber security experts to better understand what has occurred and what to expect as progress is made to restore service.

 

“We are investigating whether resident or employee personal data has been impacted. As always, we encourage individuals to take action to protect themselves from identity theft,” Mayor Neeley said.

 

While the City’s daily operation has been affected as a result of the ransomware attack, Mayor Neeley said that emergency services including 911, dispatch, law enforcement, and fire operations are fully operational and unaffected. However, the City’s payment system is affected and it is able to receive payments only by cash and check.

 

People who aren’t able to pay bills for water, sewer, and taxes won’t be penalised and “no water shutoffs will happen during this time period,” the City said.

 

While City phone lines have intermittent service, some City employees are able to access emails. Flint’s official website is hosted on a separate server and is working for visiting and navigation, however, some linked platforms including the City’s billing system and maps are unavailable at the moment.

 

“Public Works services are fully operational, including waste collection, street maintenance, water and sewer utilities, and blight elimination. The Office of Public Health is fully operational,” City officials added.

 

The City of Flint said its IT team is working round the clock to get the affected systems back online, but the restoration timeline is still unavailable.

 

As of now, no known ransomware group has claimed responsibility for the data security incident on Flint, and the city also did not share the identity of the attackers.