Long Beach Computer Network Shut Down After Cyber Attack Found

LONG BEACH, NY — The City of Long Beach was the target of a cyber attack last week, which forced the city to shut down its computer network.

The city publicly announced the attack on Friday after discovering it on Tuesday afternoon.

According to the city, some of its technology employees saw unusual interactions in the city's network and told city leaders, who in turn contacted the county's Information Technology Division and the state Office of Homeland Security.

The network was shut down to protect the city's data. The city said it also hired an IT company to evaluate the intrusion and any impact it may have had.

“At this point we have no indication of any data breach, ransomware effort, or any other obvious malicious intent with regard to the city’s data, but the investigation is ongoing,” said City Manager Donna Gayden.

The city's Board of Trustees was scheduled to meet on Tuesday, but the meeting was postponed because of the attack. It was rescheduled for this evening.

The city said its external forensic examination of its network is ongoing. The city hopes to have its service fully restored today.

The City of Long Beach is not the first Long Island institution to be targeted by hackers. Last year, the Rockville Centre School District was the victim of a ransomware attack. The district paid $90,000 to hackers to have its systems unlocked after a cyber attack.