The City of Long Beach, California, recently fell victim to a cyberattack, prompting immediate action to shut down parts of its IT network in an effort to contain the potential spread of the attack. The incident, reported on November 14th, led the city to enlist a cybersecurity firm for an investigation and notify the FBI. While specific details about the nature of the cyberattack remain undisclosed, the city’s proactive response included taking systems offline, anticipating an extended period of downtime for investigations and potential remediation.
Long Beach, with a population of approximately 460,000 residents, currently ranks as the seventh most populous city in California. The city reassured the public that, despite the cyber incident, emergency services would remain unaffected.
However, various online services are expected to experience disruptions throughout the weekend. The city emphasized its commitment to maintaining essential services, keeping City Hall and other public-facing facilities open, while acknowledging potential delays and inconveniences in digital services as they work to resolve the incident.
The cybersecurity incident has raised concerns about the potential theft of data, although the specific details about the attack’s execution and the extent of the damage are not yet disclosed.
While no threat actors have claimed responsibility, it is noted that such claims typically arise weeks after a security incident when extortion attempts become public. The city’s cautious approach, engaging law enforcement and cybersecurity experts, reflects the ongoing challenges municipalities face in safeguarding their digital infrastructure against evolving cyber threats.
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