Suisun City fully reopens City Hall weeks after malware incident
By Carlos E. Castañeda
Suisun City has reopened all public access to City Hall after a cybersecurity incident last month forced city officials to close in-person services.
The city declared a state of emergency after malicious software disrupted public safety systems on August 7, including 911 routing, police and fire dispatch, along with records and other city services. Suisun City shut down its IT network to contain the threat and preserve evidence for a federal investigation, and City Hall was officially closed to the public two days later.
The emergency declaration allowed Suisun City to more quickly access emergency resources and recover costs related to the malware attack.
On Tuesday, the city announced all City Hall departments were now available even as the incident and its overall impact was still under investigation. Suisun City said it was working with the FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the California Office of Emergency Services to investigate the incident, maintain essential services, and restore systems.
During the IT outage, police and firefighters continued responding to calls, with dispatchers routing 911 and non-emergency calls through the Solano County dispatch center. The city said it would continue routing such calls through Solano County dispatch while members of the community can go directly to the Police Department for other general assistance and standard services.
Other city services have been coming back on line over the last several weeks with limited in-person access to some departments for essential services.
Suisun City officials have said there was no evidence indicating any residents’ personal data was accessed, stolen, or exposed during the malware attack, but with the investigation still ongoing, the city said it was still auditing its network and systems to confirm whether any sensitive data was impacted. No group or person has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the city has not said whether any ransom was paid to bring systems back online.
Suisun City provides additional details about the cybersecurity incldent on its website.
