As Hackers Hold Records For Ransom, Bay Area City Calls Emergency Meeting

BAY AREA, CA — Hackers have crippled municipal operations, closed City Hall, disrupted emergency dispatch, and prompted an emergency meeting Tuesday as officials in a Bay Area city consider how to respond to demands from those behind the cyberattack.

Suisun City leaders will meet at 8 a.m. to discuss the response after malware infiltrated the city's computer systems Friday, forcing employees to shut them down to prevent further damage, according to reports.

“Our records are hostage,” Suisun City Councilmember Princess Washington said.

The crisis began around 5:45 a.m. Friday, when the city's information technology department detected what officials described as “a piece of malware” in Suisun City's computer systems.

City employees shut down the systems to stop the malware from causing further damage, particularly to public safety operations, according to city officials.

The attack prompted the City Council to declare a state of emergency during an emergency meeting Saturday and designate City Manager Bret Prebula as director of emergency services.

The declaration allows the city to pursue state and federal assistance as officials work to restore operations.

The city has since received demands from the “person or persons” responsible for the attack, according to reports. Officials have not disclosed what the attackers demanded or whether they sought a ransom payment.

Officials said they could not discuss the demands or identify who may be behind the attack because investigators are still working the case.

The FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Suisun City Police Department, and cybersecurity specialists provided through the city's cyber insurance plan are investigating.

City Hall has remained closed since Friday.

As of Monday, city employees were working remotely, while in-person services remained unavailable across much of city government.

Emergency services have also felt the effects. As of Tuesday, 911 dispatchers were rerouting calls to Sonoma County, KRON reported.

City officials said the attack poses no immediate safety threat to the public, but questions remain about what information the attackers may have obtained.

Hackers may have gained access to records containing residents' water-billing or housing information, according to the city.

The attack also exposed the challenge of defending a municipal computer network with limited resources. Suisun City's information technology department consists of two city employees and a third-party contractor, according to reports.

City officials have not announced when City Hall or affected public services will return to normal operations.

Tuesday's emergency meeting could provide the first indication of how city leaders intend to respond to the attackers' demands.

Bay City News contributed to this report.
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