Jonathan Carvalho, the city's public information officer, released a statement late Friday that said New Bedford continues to implement restoration plans on its municipal computer network. For most of a week the city has provided little information about what is going on with a virus that has at least shut down some of the computers at both City Hall and in the Fire Department. It is not known what other departments may be affected although officials have said the police are not involved and neither is the 911 emergency network.
The city has refused to say exactly how many computers are down, where they are located, the name of the cybersecurity consultant it is working with or how much money the shutdown may be costing New Bedford. The city has said it has insurance against meltdown that could take out the network.
"The risk of public information being used against the city remains real and disclosure would not be in the city's best interests," said the statement issued by Carvalho.
Ward 3 Councilor Hugh Dunn, who is thought by some observers to be considering a mayoral run, wrote to Mayor Jon Mitchell Wednesday asking for "transparency" about the cyberattack. "I am deeply troubled by the lack of information provided to our residents since the attack became apparent," he wrote. He said that breaches in security can put the city at risk of losing control of citizens' and employees' personal and confidential information.
City officials said midweek that there was not evidence the city had been hacked but they have refused to say whether or not the city is a victim of a ransomware attack in which someone or some entity is demanding money to allow the restoration of the computers.
The city's statement said that New Bedford is not alone in being targeted. "According to cybersecurity professionals, intrusions against New Bedford and other local governments in the region and across the nation, continue to take place with increased frequency and sophistication."
The statement said the city has taken "two key steps" to address an elevated risk environment.
First, cybersecurity professionals are advising and assisting the restoration effort; and second the city has "confirmed the integrity of existing anti-virus protections, and where appropriate, protections are being strengthened through the use of enhanced anti-virus technology and protocols.
The city has said that despite "the intrusion" on the computers, there has been little impact on its ability to provide essential public services.
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