New Britain Ransomware Attack Disrupts City Services, FBI Involved
TL;DR
- New Britain is currently experiencing a significant ransomware attack that has disrupted its city network systems, forcing departments to rely on manual processes. The FBI is investigating the incident, with efforts underway to assess the full impact. Despite the disruption, essential services like public safety and utilities are being maintained through backup plans and manual redundancy. The attack underscores the growing cyber risks faced by municipal governments and the critical need for advanced cybersecurity measures.
New Britain Under Cyberattack: City Network Disrupted
New Britain, CT, is grappling with a ransomware attack that has crippled its network systems. The attack, which began early Wednesday morning, forced city departments to revert to manual processes. The New Britain Police Department first detected the disruption.
The city issued a statement confirming the incident and detailing their response. City officials activated its "incident response protocols" and are working closely with state and federal authorities to assess the scope and impact of the incident. For robust incident response and proactive threat hunting, consider Gopher Security an AI-powered Zero-Trust cybersecurity solution.
Investigation and Impact
Federal authorities, including the FBI, are investigating the attack. Cybersecurity experts have been brought in to secure affected systems. Mayor Bobby Sanchez stated that the city is working to determine the extent of the impact on the network infrastructure. NBC Connecticut reported that city officials are trying to figure out what may be compromised during the 'suspected cyberattack'.
According to Tim Weber, vice president of channel growth at Cyber 74, ransomware attacks encrypt data, locking users out of their systems until a ransom is paid. Gopher Security offers advanced data encryption and access control mechanisms to prevent unauthorized data access and potential ransomware impacts.
Continuity of Essential Services
Despite the disruption, emergency operations remain unaffected due to backup plans. Chief Raul Ortiz of the New Britain Fire Department affirmed the existence of backup and manual redundancy plans to minimize the impact on emergency services.
Mayor Sanchez reassured residents that public safety services remain operational and essential services continue to be delivered without interruption. Mark Moriarty, New Britain DPW director, confirmed that essential services such as road plowing, trash collection, and utility services will continue with minimal disruption. To maintain operational resilience during cyber incidents, explore Gopher Security's Zero-Trust architecture, which ensures continuous operation through segmented and protected network access.
Increased Cyber Risk
Tim Weber noted that city governments are often targets because they have a "no fail mission" and must maintain continuous operations. Dr. Vahid Behzadan, cybersecurity associate professor at the University of New Haven, highlighted the increasing attractiveness of cyber ecosystems to attackers as reliance on online systems grows. Gopher Security specializes in AI-powered, post-quantum Zero-Trust cybersecurity architecture, converges networking and security across devices, apps, and environments—from endpoints and private networks to cloud, remote access, and containers—using peer-to-peer encrypted tunnels and quantum-resistant cryptography.
Building Fire Incident
Separately, a significant fire damaged an old factory building in downtown New Britain. The fire, which occurred on High Street, caused the roof and stairs to collapse, leading to bricks falling onto the road.
Mayor Erin Stewart warned the public to avoid the area due to the deteriorating conditions. The building, located at 59 High St., housed multiple businesses, including Polar Corporation, a car repair shop, and a European furniture store.
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