KINGMAN – City of Kingman is slowly getting back to fully operational after a recent cyberattack. The city’s Information Technology (IT) team members have been bringing government operations back online at a slow, safe pace. Kingman IT members have visited the city’s more than 20 work sites within the city, and getting email, internet access, and some specialized programs up and running. Some work functions, specialized software, files, etc. are still not accessible in some departments, as this is a lengthy process to ensure a safe transition to being fully functional. Theyare hopeful that the majority of the system could be fully functional by the end of the week. Once again, the Municipal Court is unaffected.
The City of Kingman is categorizing this as a criminal cyberattack; the city never lost control of our network. At this time, they are still working to discover the extent of the event and trying to discover if any information has been damaged. The city has a legal obligation to inform any customers or internal team members if their information has been damaged or exposed. The City of Kingman is insured against this type of cyberattack and they are working closely with different agencies and the insurance provider to conduct the forensic investigation.
The City’s utility pay-by-phone system is back online. Payments can be made by dialing (928) 753-8585. Customers may experience a busy signal, due to large call volumes. Customers can also pay their utility bill in person or over the phone with a customer service representative. The city is waiving all delinquent notice fees at this time. It is still unknown when all systems will be fully functional.
Background
The City of Kingman experienced a cyberattack throughout the entire computer system Friday, February 26. The Arizona National Guard Cyber Joint Task Force was onsite with the City of Kingman Information Technology team beginning Saturday, February 27, and left late March 3, as the Kingman IT department transitioned to using new resources.
