Over the weekend, the city of Fürth and its district in Germany experienced website unavailability following a cyberattack. Attackers targeted the servers with numerous requests from various countries simultaneously, causing significant disruptions to online services such as applications and forms for citizens. While the city confirmed the severity of the attack, it assured that specialized applications and municipal IT systems remained unaffected, and alternative communication channels such as phone, email, and in-person assistance remained operational.
According to a Facebook message from the city, the cyberattack overwhelmed the servers, rendering the websites accessible only to a limited extent or not at all. The attackers’ coordinated efforts from multiple IP addresses heightened the seriousness of the situation, posing a threat of server breakdown. Despite the challenges posed by the attack, IT experts from the agency overseeing the city’s servers promptly responded to fend off the attacks, working diligently to restore normalcy to the online services.
While the cyberattack disrupted online services, the city emphasized that specialized applications of the offices and municipal IT infrastructure remained unaffected by the incident. Furthermore, citizens could still access essential services through alternative means, including phone, email, and in-person interactions. The incident underscores the increasing threat of cyberattacks targeting local government entities and highlights the importance of robust cybersecurity measures to mitigate such risks and ensure the continuity of essential services for citizens.
