Cyberattack forces the City of Cleveland to shut down IT systems

The City of Cleveland, Ohio, is currently facing a cyberattack that has forced it to shut down IT systems, especially citizen-facing services. The attack’s more notable part was that it compromised the public offices and facilities at Erieview and City Hall.

The campaign could cause severe disruptions throughout the state as Cleveland is an important healthcare, manufacturing, banking, logistics, education, and technology hub in Ohio. It is also one of the state’s largest economic centres, with a metropolitan area housing over 2 million individuals.

The disruption was announced earlier this week when the city’s officials advised that public services had been restricted to essential operations due to a cyber intrusion.

A status update posted on social media platform X states that the event is still being investigated with the assistance of a third-party service provider. At the same time, the city hall and Erieview will remain closed while authorities examine the incident.

 

The City of Cleveland claims that the hackers did not access any taxpayer data.

 

According to the City of Cleveland, its initial investigation verified that the hackers did not access taxpayer information stored by the CAA or customs information maintained by public utility services.

Additionally, the cybercriminal intrusion has not affected vital services such as emergency services, works, utilities, healthcare (EMS), and airport travel.

The city has also assured everyone that it will provide updates as soon as the ongoing investigation finds new details, and concerned individuals can call its hotline for further information.

On the other hand, no ransomware groups have claimed responsibility for the attack on the City of Cleveland, and researchers have yet to uncover the cause of the incident.

According to a local media outlet, the City’s Mayor described the incident as a breach. At the same time, the City’s IT commissioner indicated that they noticed strange activities in the City’s information technology environment.

The authorities advise reporting to withhold critical information from the public to avoid compromising the investigation’s development. Therefore, city residents should be cautious with their online presence as the overall impact of the cyber intrusion is not yet clear.