Written by Raphael Sater
(Reuters) – Hacker vandalism has disrupted many public services in Dallas, shutting down courthouses and shutting down emergency services websites, officials said on Thursday.
In a series of statements posted online, the City of Dallas said the courthouses closed Wednesday and will remain closed Thursday. Although the data said emergency services for residents were not affected, police and fire service homepages were unavailable as of Thursday and a police spokesperson said the city’s computer-assisted dispatch system had been affected.
Dallas city officials did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. A Dallas fire official referred questions to the city.
Other affected authorities include Dallas Water Utilities, which were delaying readings, and the Dallas Public Library, whose online materials were not available, according to the statement.
Dallas officials said the cause was ransomware — a type of malware hackers use to shuffle data and immobilize networks until an extortionate payment is made, usually in digital currency.
Ransomware has had a devastating impact on US businesses, institutions, and local authorities, particularly in Atlanta, which was held by hackers seeking ransom for several days in 2018, and in Baltimore, which was hit by online extortion the following year.
Both attacks cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
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