LAKE CITY, Fla. – A ransomware program known as Triple Threat hit City Hall in Lake City on Monday, and many city systems are out of order as a result, according to a release from the Lake City Police Department.
The program, Lake City police said, combines three methods of attack when targeting network systems. All of the city's government email systems were rendered inoperable, and most of its landline phones were out of order.
All emergency services are fully operational, the Police Department said.
Any late fees on city-related payments resulting from delays caused by the malware attack will be waived. Utility payments can still be made in-person at City Hall, however credit card payments are currently not available.
“We are currently using all available resources to recover from this attack,” said City Manager Joe Helfenberger. “Our IT staff have been working nonstop to isolate our systems and recover any lost data. We have also contracted an outside consultant with expertise in combating this sort of attack.”
“Our systems are shut down, but there is no evidence to indicate any sensitive data has been compromised. All customer service payment data, such as credit card data, is stored off-site by third-party vendors and would not have been accessed by an attack like this on our network,” said Brian Hawkins, the city's I.T. director.
City Hall remains open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.