Ohio City Hit by 'Cyber Incident': What We Know

Cleveland City Hall has entered its second day of temporary closure after a significant "cyber incident" impacted the city's systems on Sunday.

The city was forced to shut down most internal systems to prevent further damage and investigate a significant cybersecurity breach, though the extent of the damage is not yet known. City staff were told on Sunday night that they would not be able to access most internal systems in the morning, with only essential and emergency services being maintained, according to a statement shared on X, formerly Twitter.

After Monday saw most of the city's internal functions shut down save for emergency services, the phone system has since been restored, according to officials, with more work going into the restoration of other systems. Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb told local news that the second day of closure was a precaution while other areas affected by the incident are being fixed.

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Bibb's office said Sunday: "The City of Cleveland is currently investigating a cyber incident and though we have not confirmed its nature and scope, we are taking this incident seriously.

"As a precautionary measure, the city has shut down the affected systems while we focus on securing and restoring services safely. These systems will remain offline until we have a better understanding of the situation.

"All internal systems and software platforms will be shut down until further notice. City Hall and Erieview will be closed on Monday, June 10 except for essential staff and normal business will not be conducted with the public.

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"We take cyber threats extremely seriously and are working expeditiously to rectify the situation as soon as possible. There is no further information available at this time. We will provide updates as they become available."

There has been no information concerning the source or exact nature of the incident since Sunday evening. Newsweek reached out to the Cleveland City Hall for comment on the situation.

The incident comes days after warnings from the Cleveland Health Clinic that cyberattacks posed a significant threat to hospitals and medical systems in particular. On June 3, chief information security officer, Vugar Zeynalov, said at an event hosted by U.S. News & World Report that "cyber incidents are not just about losing data anymore. They're about losing patients' confidence, undermining safety and impacting care delivery and lives."

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"Given our size and complexity, and the number of possible attack vectors, we have to assume that the attackers are going to get a foothold in our environment just like in real warfare."

Cleveland City Hall also closed its satellite offices in Erieview, which manages the Department of Public Health, as well as staff for the Building and Housing Department. The shutdown includes all internal software platforms, impacting routine administrative functions​​.

Other services that will continue to operate include Cleveland police, the fire department, Port Control, and Public Utilities, which includes power and water management.

Cleveland's emergency services, airports and city utilities are still operable despite the incident, as these qualify as essential. After-hours operators from the United Way continued to handle the city's daytime 3-1-1 call-ins.

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