The Foster City City Council has declared a state of emergency after its computer network was targeted by ransomware nearly a week ago.
The Council voted 4-0 Monday night to declare the emergency, with the city government’s computer network paralyzed by the cyberattack for a sixth day.
SFGate reports that suspicious activity was flagged on the city’s computer network on Thursday morning. The city took its network offline and contacted independent cybersecurity specialists to help determine the nature and source of the attack.
A spokesperson for the city told SFGate that police and 9-1-1 services are still working, but they don’t know when they’ll be able to restart Foster City’s computer network.
Municipal email and phone lines have experienced disruptions as a result of the cyberattack, but City Hall remains open.
Several cities have experienced ransomware attacks in recent years, including Oakland in 2023.
