The City of Yellowknife has confirmed it is in the middle of a “cybersecurity incident” that has affected access to internal systems and the municipality’s online services.
The first signs of trouble emerged on Saturday, when the city said in a Facebook post it had lost access to email and some services like Virtual City Hall and City Explorer had gone down.
On Monday afternoon, the city announced it was “actively responding to a cybersecurity incident.”
“As a result of early detection and response, preliminary findings indicate that no data has been taken. City staff are working closely with cybersecurity experts to understand the nature and full scope of the incident,” the city stated.
Precise details were not available.
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“The city’s main priority is maintaining the integrity of its systems and protecting sensitive and private information,” Monday’s news release continued.
“The city enacted its incident response protocols to contain the incident, including the implementation of additional measures to further enhance its network security. These additional measures are impacting some city services.”
The main effect on many residents may be the city’s inability to process credit or debit card payments at facilities.
“City facilities can only accept cash payments until further notice,” the municipality stated.
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“If possible, members of the public are encouraged to delay making payment of invoices until the current situation is resolved.”
Public access computers located at the library are also unavailable. Library patrons will be limited to five items per person.
“The City of Yellowknife remains committed to transparency and accountability throughout this process. Updates will be provided as new information becomes available,” the city’s statement concluded.
