Adrian Johnson
TLDR:
- Newburgh City Hall re-opens after cybersecurity attack
- City services are being restored gradually
Newburgh City Hall and offices at 123 Grand Street are set to re-open on Monday, June 17th, just a week after the City fell victim to a cybersecurity attack. The City faced the incident on Monday which disrupted some services and administrative functions, causing a halt in processing payments for property taxes, water, sewer, sanitation, permit fees, and parking tickets. Despite the attack, essential departments such as Police, Fire, Water, Sewer, Sanitation, Engineering, and Recreation continued with only minor disruptions.
City leadership responded swiftly by engaging outside IT experts and other professionals to restore operations. Mayor Torrance Harvey mentioned that the cybercriminals usually target larger cities and that Newburgh had recently purchased a cybersecurity insurance policy to protect against such attacks. The City is working tirelessly to bring back services and has set up a grace period for late payments during the downtime. Phone and email services will be restored on Monday at 9:00 a.m., while payment systems will be phased in over the next seven to 10 days.
The average downtime for such cybersecurity incidents is usually longer, but the City’s Executive Team put in extraordinary effort to bring services back online quickly. The City is committed to complete restoration of services and ensuring that residents receive the support they need.
Overall, the quick response and recovery efforts showcase Newburgh’s resilience in the face of cyber threats and the dedication of its leadership to prioritize the needs of its residents.
