Peabody Residents Victimized In Cyber Attack On City Systems: Mayor

PEABODY, MA — Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt called a cyber attack on city residents last summer "honestly sad and deeply frustrating" in a message accompanying a letter to affected residents notifying them of the breach.

Bettencourt said the attack — which included accessing the network and copying files — was immediately brought to the attention of the FBI, State Police and other specialists, who helped secure the system within 24 hours.

"It's honestly sad and deeply frustrating that these kinds of cyber incidents have become a routine part of modern life," Bettencourt said. "I'm sure many of you have received notifications like this before — we all have — and it shouldn't be this way.

"These cyber criminals are out there trying to wreak havoc on people who are simply going about their daily lives, and it's unacceptable."

"Since then, we have carefully reviewed the affected files to determine what information was involved," Bettencourt added.

Residents who received the letter from the city should take it as authentic.

Bettencourt said a dedicated call center has been set up to assist residents who may qualify for free credit monitoring and identity theft protection. That number is 844-518-7398.

"Thank you for your attention, and please know that we have taken every step to protect our systems and support our residents," Bettencourt said.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)