Fort Smith computer attack investigation nearing an end - Talk Business & Politics

In a statement provided late Tuesday (Sept. 15), Fort Smith City Administrator Jeff Dingman said a month-long investigation into an attack on the city’s computer system is nearing a conclusion, “and we have assurance that the threat has been contained.”

The statement followed Tuesday’s executive session with the Fort Smith Board of Directors, Dingman, and James Gentry, the city’s chief information officer.

The city says it first identified a “cybersecurity event” on Aug. 16, but citing the ongoing investigation, has declined to provide any details how the attack impacted city information and operations. Specifically, city officials will not say whether personal and financial data of city residents, employees, or vendors was compromised.

Potentially at risk is personal and financial information of 1,032 city employees and the more than 36,000 city residents and businesses with water/sewer accounts. Also at risk is important information vendors who have done or do business with the city.

Because the city has declined to answer questions, it is impossible to know which computer systems remain fully or partially offline, how the event began, whether ransomware or some form of payment demands were involved, whether personal and financial information was accessed or removed, why recovery is still ongoing, and a time frame for when the system is expected to return to some level of normal.

The city said Tuesday it is working with “cybersecurity specialists and its federal and state partners to investigate the event, secure its systems, and determine the extent of the activity.”

Following is the complete statement provided Tuesday from Dingman. “The forensic investigation of the cybersecurity event is nearing conclusion, and we have assurance that the threat has been contained. The investigation determined that an unauthorized threat actor accessed the City’s systems through the Fort Smith Police Department and exfiltrated certain data. The City has identified how the threat actor gained access to its systems and the scope of the information accessed.

“With the forensic investigation nearing completion, the City is reviewing the information involved and applicable notification requirements to determine what additional information should or must be provided to the public or other affected parties.

“Throughout this process, the City worked carefully to restore systems only when they can be returned to service safely. Several systems have been restored, including payment systems at City Hall, Fort Smith District Court, and the Fort Smith Landfill. All public-facing City services are online. The City will continue restoring additional systems carefully and deliberately.

“In light of this event, the City is committed to implementing additional security measures and ensuring the integrity of our data and systems.”