Hayward cyberattack: Officials restore disrupted emergency dispatch system
The city of Hayward has restored its 911 computer-aided dispatch system following a cyberattack discovered this month.
The city of Hayward has restored its internal computer network following a cyberattack this month that disrupted 911 emergency dispatch systems and other municipal services, officials said Thursday.
The city bought back online its computer network Tuesday and said the 911 center’s computer-aided dispatch system, or CAD, was also restored, according to a press release. The CAD system is how the dispatch center receives calls and records and manages information to send police and firefighters to calls for service.
“In CAD’s absence, Hayward’s call-takers and dispatchers reverted to pen and paper, and radio communication with responding officers and firefighter-paramedics,” according to the release.
Access Hayward, a system through which non-emergency requests for service and other reports of problems are received, was also brought back online, according to the release.
Other systems have been restored as well. The city said residents can again do business through most of the city’s online portals, but some systems involving water bill payments and library services remain down or not fully functional.
The city said if it finds or receives evidence of a breach of private or confidential information of any employee, former employee or member of the public, it will contact the affected person directly. Chuck Finnie, a Hayward representative, said the city has not yet had to get in touch with anyone.
The cyber intrusion was detected in the early morning hours of July 9, and the city “moved immediately to lock down the activity by severing the city’s network,” according to the release.
The cyberattack has been described as an attempt to disrupt city services and extort ransom, and it prompted city officials to declare a local emergency, which allowed the city to suspend certain rules and regulations to more quickly respond to the attack. Finnie declined to comment on any ransom sought or information related to the identity of the intruders or investigations into the intrusion.
The city’s website, non-emergency phone systems and ability to receive emails were disrupted by the attack or the city’s response to the intrusion, according to the release. Those systems were gradually restored this month.
Throughout the weeks-long security breach, the city said it has communicated using cellphones, unaffected email, messaging and virtual meeting programs, and large- and small-scale Wi-Fi equipment.