JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – The city of Jacksonville Beach plans to reach out to residents about a “sophisticated cyberattack” that occurred at the end of January that could have potentially affected personal data.
The city first informed residents of what it called a “cyberattack conducted by a criminal organization” that crippled city operations, causing city hall and other city facilities to abruptly shut down.
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An investigation was opened as the city worked to address the issue and it revealed that “certain files in the City’s systems were subject to unauthorized access.” Officials believe that information may have been accessed between Jan. 22, 2024, through Jan. 29, 2024.
Sensitive information such as social security numbers, driver’s license numbers and/or bank account information is believed to be impacted. The city did say that the information varies by individual.
City employees and customers of Beaches Energy Services will receive a notice in the mail if they are affected. The city will also provide notice of the cyberattack directly to other people who were involved.
“The City takes this event and the security of information in our care very seriously, and we are working to determine the full extent of the event,” Communications Manager for the City of Jacksonville Beach Jacob Board said.
Chris Freedman, CEO of OnDefend, explained why smaller cities such as Jacksonville Beach would be targeted for a cyberattack.
“Smaller cities just like smaller private organizations, they’re usually less funded to build proper cybersecurity programs. They have less measures in place to defend against cyber attacks, less money for training their employees to avoid these types of things as well. So it really is just a lack of investment which makes them softer targets,” Freedman said.
Cybersecurity expert Chris Hamer suggested people should reach out to the three credit bureaus to either monitor or lock their credit.
“Don’t ever believe your information is safe, don’t even think that that’s a possibility, it’s not. Because that prevents you from not being willing to take a step to protect yourself because you think that’s being excessive… no, be excessive,” Hamer said.
Hamer said when information is stolen from a government entity, it’s possible that scammers can use that information to harm innocent people. He said if you receive calls from someone claiming to be a government agency, you should pay attention to what they are asking you for.
“No reputable government agency, no law enforcement agency, no court, no government entity is ever going to accept gift cards, apple gift cards, google gift cards, none of it,” Hamer said.
Anyone who believes they were potentially impacted is urged to call 844-709-0703 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Click here to learn about the credit monitoring resources the city is offering for protection.