In the latest update from Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Chief Operating Officer Richard Cox and interim Chief Information Officer Daphne Rackley on March 27, the City of Atlanta is advising its employees to turn on computers and printers for the first time since the March 22 cyber attack.
“It is expected that some computers will operate as usual and employees will return to normal use,” a statement from the City read. “It is also expected that some computers may be affected or affected in some way and employees will continue using manual or alternative processes. This is part of the City’s ongoing assessment as part of the restoration and recovery process.”
The City’s statement also provided an update that a limited number of systems are now available to employees: Email, Oracle, Siebel, Accela, and select services for employees in enQuesta.
“The City remains committed to staying open for business and operating on behalf of its residents,” the statement read. “Additional updates will be provided as they are available.”
Last Friday, Bottoms, Cox, and Rackley gave updates on the City’s efforts to resolve a ransomware cyberattack during a late morning press conference.
Bottoms provided an update on City operations and precautionary measures employees and customers should take while the City works to restore applications that have been disabled.
“The safety and security of our employees and customers remain our top priority. We are working around the clock to work through this ransomware cyberattack and we ask for your patience as we implement business continuity measures,” Bottoms said. “I want to thank the Department of Atlanta Information Management, my senior team, our federal partners, Microsoft and Cisco for their hard work and focus on this issue.”
At this time, there is no evidence to show that customer or employee data has been compromised. However, customers and employees are encouraged to take precautionary measures to monitor and protect their personal information. In the coming days, the City will offer employees additional resources if needed.
While some customer applications are disabled as the City works to resolve this incident, business continuity measures have been implemented.
