# Local Governments Under Siege: Ransomware Attacks Disrupt 911, Critical Services Nationwide **Suisun City**, California, a town of 30,000, experienced a significant cyberattack on Friday, compromising its IT systems and taking down critical public safety operations. The incident affected **911** routing, police and fire dispatch, records, and other city services. In response, the city shut down its entire IT network and sought assistance from federal and state officials. Emergency services are being rerouted through the county's dispatch center, ensuring public safety. On Monday, officials confirmed that city hall was closed for in-person meetings, and most departments were inaccessible to the public. The **FBI** is currently investigating the incident, and a state of emergency has been declared to unlock essential funding for recovery efforts. ## A Broader Trend of Municipal Cyberattacks This incident is not isolated. Over the past week, multiple cities and counties nationwide have reported similar cyberattacks and ransomware incidents, disrupting public services and government operations. ### Coweta, Oklahoma Last Wednesday, the town of **Coweta**, Oklahoma, population 12,000, reported a ransomware attack that impacted all its computers, files, and digital services. Fortunately, police and fire departments utilize off-site systems, which remained unaffected. Cybersecurity experts have been engaged to restore systems and assess the damage. The town is leveraging off-site data backups to restore files and records, though the ransomware still needs to be purged from the system. While the town's website and bill pay service (managed by an external vendor) remain operational, in-person utility payments via credit or debit card are currently unavailable. The town has pledged not to disconnect water services for nonpayment during this period. ### Mitchell, South Dakota On Friday, **Mitchell**, South Dakota, also reported a cyberattack that forced local officials to shut down government networks. While emergency services and email systems used by local officials were initially reported as unaffected, the **Mitchell Republic** later reported that county officials were advised not to open emails from Mitchell's town government, indicating potential compromise. ### Texas and Wisconsin Counties Affected Meanwhile, **Coryell County** in Texas and **Washburn County** in Wisconsin have also disclosed cyberattacks. As of Monday, Washburn County's court system was still experiencing phone and fax line outages after an attack reported last Thursday. Court hearings are proceeding as scheduled, and the e-filing system remains unaffected. **Lolita Olson**, Washburn County board chair, stated that the county's network has been shut down as experts work to identify the cause of the outage. She advised the public that disruptions to county services reliant on internet access or county phone lines are to be expected, urging calls to be directed to **911** for routing to appropriate departments. ## Escalating Threats to Critical Infrastructure These attacks on local governments coincide with an alarming series of cyberattacks targeting water and wastewater systems, which have affected at least 12 states. The increasing frequency and sophistication of these incidents underscore the urgent need for enhanced cybersecurity measures and resilience planning across all levels of government and critical infrastructure.