As a result of the incident, Tuesday's City Council meeting was canceled and Mayor Kevin Scarpati and Majority Leader Sonya Jelks issued a brief statement alerting residents that the city is investigating and that emergency services have not been affected.
According to Tuesday's message, city information technology workers noticed the attempt and immediately went to work to identify possible breaches. Internet service will not be restored until a full investigation is complete, the message stated.
"We are meeting regularly for updates," Jelks said Wednesday. "We'll catch up when there is a change. Until the system is up and running, the city is operating manually."
City officials, including Strategic Communications Specialist Anthony Terzi, declined to comment on the issue and other staff members referred questions to the city's legal department. Scarpati confirmed the city was working with outside agencies to investigate, but declined further comment.
"Hopefully, we'll get some answers soon," Scarpati said.
City Hall workers were doing "busy work" Wednesday filing hard copies in the land use office, and City Council Clerk Lori Canney pulled out an old-fashioned typewriter to draft meeting cancellation notices.
Services such as water, sewer and tax payments will be interrupted and residents who pay late because of the system delay won't be charged, Jelks said.
The City Council was set to vote Tuesday on a resolution to move forward with demolishing the former Meriden-Waterbury Hospital to make way for a new Casimir Pulaski Elementary School. It was also considering hiring a tax auditor to conduct personal property assessment audits on local businesses.
The City Council meeting was rescheduled as an in-person meeting for Thursday.
Ransomware attacks have become more frequent in municipalities in recent years. New Britain reported one such attack that knocked out phones and Internet in late January. City officials worked with local, state and federal authorities to discover the extent of the impact.
West Haven's information technology systems were likewise attacked in January 2025 also leading to a systemwide shutdown while the city investigated.
In 2023, two Connecticut hospitals owned by Prospect Medical Holdings Inc. were shut down for several days while the FBI investigated a cyberattack on the health network's system.
Meriden city officials said Wednesday, the public will be notified of any significant findings or when they can resume doing business at City Hall.
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