Okla. — The City of Coweta says they are currently responding to a ransomware attack
According to officials, on Werdnesday, August 5, the City experienced at system-wide attack and immediately contacted their contracted IT provider and additional cycbersecurity professionals to secure their systems to prevent any further intrusion and to begin a recovery process.
The attack affected all City computers, files, and computer-based services, except the City website and their third-party online billing portal. Coweta’s computer systems and files are currently down at this time. Officials state that the Coweta Police Department and Fire Department both use off-site servers like LexisNexis and other systems for processing data and those systems have not been affected by the ransomware attack. Emergency services, including 911, are still up and running.
A backup of City data will be used to restore computer files and records once their systems have been cleared of the ransomware.
If you need to make a payment online, Xpress Bill Pay is still available through the City website and is safe to use. The third-party service is not hosted by any City of Coweta server and was not affected. The City website is also still operational as it is hosted offsite.
Due to the ransomware attack, credit or debit card utility payments cannot be made at City Hall. They can still accept check payments and can assist residents who make payments in person.
The City states they will not turn off anyone’s water for nonpayment while their system is down.
“We recognize the challenges and inconvenience this disruption is creating for our residents. We are working as quickly and diligently as possible to securely recover our systems, restore our data, and return City services to normal operations.” the City said in a statement on social media.
