Hackers hint to state services: "forget about technology, let's communicate live."
The city of Pensacola in Florida is facing unprecedented difficulties after a cyberattack disrupted the telephone network in municipal services. Jason Wheeler, a spokesman for the city administration, said that communication problems affected all city departments, seriously slowing down the service to citizens through the 311 system.
311 is a special phone number for contacting municipal organizations on non-urgent issues in some cities in the United States and Canada.
Due to the incident, there were interruptions in the work of emergency services, but emergency numbers, such as 911, are still functioning. Wheeler added that non-emergency channels can be used to communicate with the police and firefighters. In addition, temporary alternative lines were opened for various departments, including energy, sanitation, engineering services and housing.
"Pensacola International Airport and seaport are operating normally. City e-mail is also available," the official assured, adding that the meeting of the city council scheduled for Monday will be held as planned, although there will be no live broadcast. "We plan to record the meeting and publish the recording later. We count on the understanding of citizens and will inform the public as soon as all systems are restored."
Officials declined to comment on whether the attack was a ransomware attack, whether the attackers had made their presence known, or whether a ransom was paid.
Pensacola, a city of more than 53,000 people, is located on the border of Florida and Alabama, an hour's drive from Mobile. In 2019, the region already experienced an attack of the Maze ransomware virus . Then hackers stole 2 GB of data, but the administration refused to make concessions to them, spending about $300,000 on system recovery. The authorities had to notify more than 57,000 citizens about the compromise of their personal data.
According to cybersecurity expert Brett Callow, the Pensacola attack was the 21st in 2024 to target U.S. local governments. The incident occurred shortly after the city of Birmingham in Alabama confirmed the fact of a large-scale failure of its municipal systems due to a hacker attack.
Last Friday, Bernalillo County in New Mexico, with a population of almost 700,000, warned of a ransomware attack on the administrative office of the district attorneys. The incident affected the work of at least three prosecutor's offices in the state.
The wave of cyber attacks has not spared local authorities outside the United States. Last week, North Vancouver County in Canada became a victim of ransomware. Leicester City Council in the UK said it was dealing with the consequences of the attack, which paralyzed the municipality's phone lines and IT systems.
Amid the growing threat, Pensacola's vital services continue to operate intermittently, leaving residents in a tense wait.
The city of Pensacola in Florida is facing unprecedented difficulties after a cyberattack disrupted the telephone network in municipal services. Jason Wheeler, a spokesman for the city administration, said that communication problems affected all city departments, seriously slowing down the service to citizens through the 311 system.
311 is a special phone number for contacting municipal organizations on non-urgent issues in some cities in the United States and Canada.
Due to the incident, there were interruptions in the work of emergency services, but emergency numbers, such as 911, are still functioning. Wheeler added that non-emergency channels can be used to communicate with the police and firefighters. In addition, temporary alternative lines were opened for various departments, including energy, sanitation, engineering services and housing.
"Pensacola International Airport and seaport are operating normally. City e-mail is also available," the official assured, adding that the meeting of the city council scheduled for Monday will be held as planned, although there will be no live broadcast. "We plan to record the meeting and publish the recording later. We count on the understanding of citizens and will inform the public as soon as all systems are restored."
Officials declined to comment on whether the attack was a ransomware attack, whether the attackers had made their presence known, or whether a ransom was paid.
Pensacola, a city of more than 53,000 people, is located on the border of Florida and Alabama, an hour's drive from Mobile. In 2019, the region already experienced an attack of the Maze ransomware virus . Then hackers stole 2 GB of data, but the administration refused to make concessions to them, spending about $300,000 on system recovery. The authorities had to notify more than 57,000 citizens about the compromise of their personal data.
According to cybersecurity expert Brett Callow, the Pensacola attack was the 21st in 2024 to target U.S. local governments. The incident occurred shortly after the city of Birmingham in Alabama confirmed the fact of a large-scale failure of its municipal systems due to a hacker attack.
Last Friday, Bernalillo County in New Mexico, with a population of almost 700,000, warned of a ransomware attack on the administrative office of the district attorneys. The incident affected the work of at least three prosecutor's offices in the state.
The wave of cyber attacks has not spared local authorities outside the United States. Last week, North Vancouver County in Canada became a victim of ransomware. Leicester City Council in the UK said it was dealing with the consequences of the attack, which paralyzed the municipality's phone lines and IT systems.
Amid the growing threat, Pensacola's vital services continue to operate intermittently, leaving residents in a tense wait.
