Suisun City Issues Emergency Declaration Amid Cyberattack on 911 Services

Suisun City, a community of around 30,000 residents located 55 miles north of San Francisco, has declared a state of emergency due to a cyberattack that has disrupted its 911 systems and other municipal services. The incident began early on Friday, August 7, leading city officials to shut down the entire IT network to contain the threat and preserve evidence. Despite this shutdown, emergency calls and responses have continued without interruption, as dispatchers have transitioned to the Solano County dispatch center.

The emergency declaration enables the city to access emergency support and seek reimbursement for recovery costs. The city's emergency operations center has been activated, and federal agencies, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, are providing assistance with the investigation and restoration efforts.

Public information officer Michael Elm indicated that the city's IT system is designed to automatically shut down when it detects an intrusion. Consequently, while internal and online city operations are currently offline, public safety remains unaffected. Elm reassured residents that there is no immediate threat to public safety.

Residents are experiencing some disruptions, such as the inability to use certain online services, including paying water bills and processing permits. However, officials have not provided an estimated time for when these services will be restored, as each network function must be inspected and cleared before returning online.

Importantly, officials have not classified the malicious software involved in the attack as ransomware, and they have not identified a suspected attacker or confirmed whether any data was stolen. Smaller municipalities like Suisun City have increasingly become targets for cyberattacks, as they often lack the robust cybersecurity budgets of larger agencies.

This incident follows a trend of increasing cyber threats to local infrastructure. Earlier this year, Foster City declared an emergency after a ransomware attack took its services offline for over a week. In another case, Pittsburg lost nearly $1 million in a phishing scam, although more than half of the funds were later recovered.

The situation in Suisun City highlights the growing concerns regarding cyberattacks on local government systems. Federal agencies have recently warned about hackers compromising water and wastewater systems in several states, with incidents reported in Minnesota and Texas involving significant disruptions to essential services. As the investigation continues, Suisun City's affected systems remain offline, with officials working diligently to restore normal operations.