Cleveland City Closes Offices Following Attack on IT Systems

Cleveland City Hall and Erieview offices will remain closed for a second consecutive day, June 11, as officials continue investigating a significant “cyber event” that has disrupted city operations.

A recent tweet from the City of Cleveland shared that the City Hall and Erieview are closed today June 10, except for essential staff, as we investigate a cyber incident.

Mayor’s Briefing on the Incident

During a media briefing, Mayor Justin Bibb provided an update on the situation.

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He announced that city phone services have been restored, and efforts are underway to bring other critical IT systems back online.

“Though we continue to investigate the nature and scope of the incident, we do know that certain city data is currently unaffected,” Mayor Bibb stated.

“Those include taxpayer information held by the Central Collection Agency Division of Taxation and customer information held by public utilities.”

Despite the cyber event, basic city services, including public safety, public works, public utilities, and airport operations, remain functional, albeit with limited computer capabilities.

The incident did not impact emergency services such as police, fire, and EMS.

Investigation and Response

The FOX 8 I-Team reported that the city of Cleveland was actively investigating the incident.

The city’s information technology commissioner Kim Roy Wilson revealed that officials had identified “abnormalities” in its IT environment.

While Mayor Bibb referred to the incident as a “breach” in his opening remarks, Wilson preferred the term “cyber event,” emphasizing the need to withhold specific details to avoid compromising the ongoing investigation.

“You’re seeing this happen all across the country from city governments to large Fortune 500 companies, to large health care companies as well,” Mayor Bibb noted.

“We wanted to make sure that we contain, manage, and get back to business as quickly as possible.”

Office Closures and Public Impact

Cleveland City Hall and the Erieview offices were closed on June 10 and will remain closed on June 11.

As the city works to recover from the cyber event, residents requiring critical documents or services supported by city networks must wait until the issue is resolved and the offices reopen.

City officials are working diligently to restore full functionality to all IT systems and ensure the security of city data.

The incident is a stark reminder of the growing threat of cyber attacks on public institutions and the importance of robust cybersecurity measures.

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