https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE Expo
    • Calendar of Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Public Safety


Article

Anchorage fortifies its computer systems as hackers attack neighboring municipalities

Anchorage fortifies its computer systems as hackers attack neighboring municipalities

A potent cyber attack is spreading through local Alaskan governments, but the state’s biggest municipality is determined not to fall victim to it.
  • Written by Jason Axelrod
  • 6th August 2018

A potent cyber attack is spreading through local Alaskan governments, but the state’s biggest municipality is determined not to fall victim to it.

On July 23, detection of a large-scale computer virus forced the Matanuska-Susitna Borough (Mat-Su) in Alaska to disconnect most of its computers, email accounts and office phones, according to the Anchorage Daily News. The virus appeared to have laid dormant within Mat-Su’s computer systems since as early as May 3.

The multi-pronged attack has forced Mat-Su employees to use typewriters while the borough’s systems are being rebuilt, the Daily News reports. Other departments have switched to using pen and paper for their work. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is investigating the attack, and borough officials expect the systems to be fully functional within three weeks from the initial incident.

Ultimately, multiple different attack vectors were identified in the incident, including the virus Emotet, the ransomware called BitPaymer and the malware known as Dridex, Alaskan TV station KTUU reports. Mat-Su employees are rebuilding the borough’s domain, redesigning parts of its network to be able to address the new cyber threat and are wiping and restoring computers before reconnecting them to the network, according to KTUU and the Daily News. Officials expect recovery costs to total nearly $750,000, KTUU reports.

Later, on July 27, the Valdez, Alaska, government detected the same virus that struck Mat-Su within its own computer systems, according to a news release posted to the city’s official Facebook page. The government shut down all of its computers and servers in an attempt to prevent any further damage. The city’s phone system, emergency services and website still remained functional even after the system shutdown, however.

Now, Anchorage, Alaska, is fortifying its technology in a proactive bid to prevent the virus form laying waste to its systems, Alaskan TV station KTVA reports.

“You gotta have eyeballs on it,” Anchorage Chief Information Security Officer Mark Merchant told KTVA. “What happened in the Mat-Su is someone clicked on a link and it went out to a malicious site. That trojan virus got in there and it lay dormant for months and the hackers triggered it when they wanted to trigger it.”

The most important preparation is awareness, Merchant told KTVA. Anchorage makes its employees take an annual security awareness course to educate them on phishing and to prevent them from clicking on malicious links.

Additionally, the city has multiple systems of alerts in place, data backups, according to KTVA.

“When the FBI comes to tell you that it is a serious threat, you tend to believe them, and so we believe them that it is a serious threat,” ” Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz told KTVA.

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px; line-height: 22.2px; font: 15.0px Georgia; color: #323333}
p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 15.0px 0.0px; line-height: 22.2px; font: 12.0px Georgia; color: #323333}
span.s1 {font-kerning: none}
span.s2 {font: 12.0px Georgia; text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none; color: #0e5f8b}
span.s3 {font: 15.0px Georgia; font-kerning: none}

_____________

To get connected and stay up-to-date with similar content from American City & County:
Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter
Watch us on YouTube

Tags: News Public Safety Smart Cities & Technology Public Safety Smart Cities & Technology Article

Most Recent


  • crisis
    Navigating crises with confidence: Five ways strategic plans support crisis response
    Some crises are short-lived, barging through our lives and routines, and before we can get a sense of what’s happened, we’re left dealing with the aftermath. But many crises build slowly, with many early warning signs, and once they’vehit their breaking point, panic and uncertainty overwhelm the ability of leaders to think clearly and mitigate […]
  • 2022 Crown Communities Award winner: Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts' jury selection system
    The Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts is revolutionizing the jury selection process.  In many jurisdictions, jury duty is perceived as an obligatory nuisance. On their appointed day, potential jurors arrive early and stay late. They read books or watch television to pass the time as judges and attorneys make in-person selections from the pool of […]
  • digital
    How to leverage digital tools to drive innovation in government
    The rapid evolution of digital technologies transformed the way governments function, making them more efficient, transparent and citizen-friendly. Rather than relying on crystal trophies, governments can leverage digital tools to drive innovation and streamline processes, benefiting the population they serve. Open data and crowdsourcing Open data refers to making government data available to the public, […]
  • public trust
    With many cities facing a fiscal cliff as ARPA funding ends, debt ceiling debate continues on Capitol Hill
    As debate over the debt ceiling continues, cities and counties across the nation are facing an uncertain future as American Rescue Plan Act funding dries up. The federal government reached its spending cap of $31.4 trillion, previously set in 2021, in January. Since then, with lawmakers on Capitol Hill locked in impasse, the U.S. Department […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • How governments can keep employees safe as they return to work
  • Preventing cyber-attacks needs to be a priority for local governments
  • Building community and officer wellness through data sharing
  • California city combines advanced technology with dedicated public safety team for comprehensive emergency management

White papers


5 reasons why Plan Examiners need Objective Trapeze

30th May 2023

7 Permitting & Licensing Fails Slowing Community Growth

24th May 2023

The Secret Ingredient to Local Government Employee Retention

23rd May 2023
view all

Webinars


How to Centralize and Build a Grants Management Process at your Organization

24th May 2023

Making Permitting Easier: What We’ve Learned Helping America’s Largest Cities Improve Their Permitting Process

16th May 2023

Digital Property Tax Collection: Tales from the Trenches of Modernization

16th May 2023
view all

PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


Gallery: Annual index ranks America’s top performing cities; most are in the West

30th May 2023

Gallery: Top 10 American cities for seasonal and summer jobs

25th May 2023

Gallery: 10 of America’s most affordable cities

9th May 2023
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

5 reasons why Plan Examiners need Objective Trapeze dlvr.it/Sptl5z

30th May 2023
AmerCityCounty

Navigating crises with confidence: Five ways strategic plans support crisis response dlvr.it/SptVKN

30th May 2023
AmerCityCounty

Gallery: Annual index ranks America’s top performing cities; most are in the West dlvr.it/SpszdK

30th May 2023
AmerCityCounty

2022 Crown Communities Award winner: Miami-Dade County Clerk of Courts’ jury selection system dlvr.it/SphCBk

26th May 2023
AmerCityCounty

Gallery: Top 10 American cities for seasonal and summer jobs dlvr.it/SpdFWy

25th May 2023
AmerCityCounty

How to leverage digital tools to drive innovation in government dlvr.it/Spcktb

25th May 2023
AmerCityCounty

With many cities facing a fiscal cliff as ARPA funding ends, debt ceiling debate continues on Capitol Hill dlvr.it/SpZLph

24th May 2023
AmerCityCounty

7 Permitting & Licensing Fails Slowing Community Growth dlvr.it/SpYqBS

24th May 2023

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.