The Office of The Mayor has released the following statements on behalf of Augusta, Georgia:
Posted May 26, 2023:
As our Information Technology Department continues to investigate the incident which caused our current technology disruptions, additional details have been uncovered. Our investigation has preliminarily determined that an unauthorized actor has gained access to certain Augusta, Ga computer systems. Augusta is aware of reports that a cyber crime group is claiming responsibility for this event and they are in possession of Augusta data. At this time, Augusta is not in communication with said group, as we continue to work diligently to restore full functionality to our systems as soon as possible and determine whether any sensitive data was impacted. No ransom demand amount been communicated. We are cooperating with law enforcement and their ongoing investigation into the incident.
Augusta is committed to taking all appropriate actions to notify impacted individuals should we determine that sensitive personal information was impacted by this incident, but the work to answer that important question is ongoing. Information Technology continues to work around the clock to restore functionality to Augusta’s network.
We appreciate your continued patience and understanding and apologize for any inconvenience. Any official updates concerning this matter will be communicated by Augusta, Ga.
Posted May 25, 2023:
Recent media reports regarding Augusta, Georgia being held hostage for $50 million in a ransomware attack are incorrect.
Augusta’s Information Technology Department continues to work diligently to investigate the incident, to confirm its impact on our systems, and to restore full functionality to our systems as soon as possible. We continue to investigate what, if any, sensitive data may have been impacted or accessed.
We appreciate your continued patience and understanding and apologize for any inconvenience.
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Posted May 24, 2023:
The City of Augusta, GA began experiencing technical difficulties this past Sunday, May 21, 2023, unrelated to last week’s outage, resulting in a disruption to certain computer systems. We began an investigation and determined that we were the victim of unauthorized access to our system. Our Information Technology Department is working diligently to investigate the incident, to confirm its impact on our systems, and to restore full functionality to our systems as soon as possible. We are also actively investigating to determine whether any sensitive data may have been impacted. At this time, we have not confirmed that any sensitive data was compromised, but we will update you as more information becomes available. We appreciate your patience and understanding and apologize for any inconvenience. Our Public Safety offices and departments are continuing to operate and respond as needed.