City of Atlanta Hit By Ransomware Attack

The city of Atlanta said its computers were hit by a ransomware attack Thursday.

City of Atlanta’s Chief Operating Officer Richard Cox said it wanted to let the public know as soon as possible and the attack may have impacted other agencies in Georgia.

“Security matters are ongoing and they’re impacting everyone,” Cox said. “In fact, we were advised several agencies even here in Georgia that have been impacted. They’re really bad people that are moving quickly to have these types of attacks.”

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said employees and the public should check their credit reports and bank accounts as a proactive measure.

“Anyone who has dealt with the city of Atlanta and we have your personal information, we just ask that you be vigilant,” the mayor said.

Mayor @KeishaBottoms holds a press conference regarding the security breach. https://t.co/h1WlcyUc6x

— City of Atlanta, GA (@Cityofatlanta) March 22, 2018

The city found out about the attack at 5:40 a.m. Thursday and is working with the FBI, Homeland Security, CISCO and Microsoft to resolve the issue.

The only three departments that were not affected were public safety, watershed and the Airport.

Atlanta Police Department Chief Erika Shields said employees were filing reports using paper as a precaution on Thursday. The city said it would be open for business for Friday and employees would be paid on time.