KINGMAN, Ariz. - More than two weeks after a cyberattack knocked out much of Kingman’s municipal computer system, city officials they’re hopeful that most of the system will be fully functional again by the end of the week.
The cyberattack occurred Feb. 26, affecting internet access, remote payment of utility bills and email services and prompting the city to request help from an Arizona National Guard task force.
Specialists were visiting more than 20 work locations to get email, internet access and specialized programs back up and running, city officials said in a statement Tuesday.
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City of Kingman computer system falls victim to cyberattack
Kingman was the target of a cyberattack that impacted its entire computer system, and now the FBI is involved, along with other law enforcement agencies.
"Some work functions, specialized software, files, etc. are still not accessible to most departments, as this is a lengthy process to ensure a safe transition to being fully functional," officials said in a statement on March 16. "It is still unknown when all systems will be fully functional."
The National Guard personnel arrived Feb. 27 and left Kingman on March 3.
The Municipal Court was not affected.
Keep up to date with the status of the hack: https://www.cityofkingman.gov
Expert talks about recent cyberattacks on small, local governments
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Maya Levine, a cybersecurity expert, says there's been a lot of ransomware attacks within the past year targeting small and local governments.
"Attackers will target local governments a lot of times because they might not have really intense cybersecurity practices and technology in place and that makes them more of a low-hanging fruit and easier targets," Levine explained.
A few tips she offers to stay safe from cyberattacks:
- Educate employees on proper cybersecurity practices
- Continuously back-up data
- Make sure all software is up to date
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