In Fulton County, Georgia, a significant cyberattack over the weekend severely disrupted key systems, with the county only announcing the incident on Monday. Residents were greeted with notices of ongoing issues at county buildings, causing widespread frustration.
Mark Blackmon, among other residents, expressed his annoyance after being unable to access county services. He was notably inconvenienced when attempting to get a tag, only to find the computers down.
Initially described as an 'unexpected county-wide IT outage,' the situation was later clarified by Fulton County Board of Commissioners Chairman Robb Pitts as a cyberattack. This attack impacted major technology platforms, notably affecting the county's phone, court, and tax systems.
Chairman Pitts assured the public that, to the best of their knowledge, no sensitive information had been compromised. However, he acknowledged the significant disruption to county operations.
The cyberattack's effects extended to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, with several of its systems disabled, forcing a shift to manual operations for some online and automated processes. Humorously, some residents joked about the situation, with Louis Amaru quipping about unpaid internet bills.
Chairman Pitts communicated efforts to resolve the issues but did not provide a specific timeline for resolution. The FBI, among multiple law enforcement agencies, is involved in investigating the incident. They have been in contact with Fulton County, offering guidance on cybersecurity and working to counter cybercrime.
The cyberattack also disrupted transactions involving the property tax system and the justice system, affecting services like e-filing, firearms, and marriage licenses. The downtown Atlanta office of the Fulton County Tax Commissioner closed, and other offices limited services to motor vehicle renewals via kiosk and general customer assistance. Motor vehicle renewals are also available at certain retail kiosks.
Fulton County Libraries announced that public computers would be temporarily unavailable, though other online library systems remain operational.
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