Ransomware Attack Strikes Contra Costa County

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — All Contra Costa County Library branches and the Martinez administrative offices are currently experiencing a network outage due to a ransomware attack, county officials announced late Friday.

The library is working with the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office and the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office to investigate the attack.

The affected servers have all been taken offline and some library services have already been restored, but it may be several days before all library services are fully operational, the county said.

Libraries will be open as regularly scheduled; patrons can check out and return materials and use public computers, though printing services are not available at this time. Some online services are impacted, but Discover & Go and Overdrive are operational, the county said.

“We apologize for the inconvenience this outage is causing our patrons and ask for patience as we work to get all services back online,” said County Librarian Melinda Cervantes. “We are working closely with law enforcement, including IT experts, to gather information and prevent future attacks.”

The library only collects name, address, phone number, email address and birth date. The Library does not collect social security numbers and does not store credit card payment information, officials said.

In the past, the library collected driver’s license numbers, but ended that practice in 2019 and removed all driver’s license information from customer records, according to officials.

The library has no evidence that any personal patron data has been compromised, officials said.

"The server that stores patron data related to library card accounts and transactions was not affected, still it’s always wise to monitor your personal information on a regular basis," a statement from the county read.

Patrons with questions about impacted library services can contact Library Administration at (925) 608-7700 during regular business hours.