New Britain City Hall Network Disruption Takes Systems Offline, Halts Municipal Services
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Key Takeaways
- Operational Impact: A significant network disruption has taken specific New Britain City Hall systems offline, though police and fire services remain fully operational.
- Incident Response: The disruption was detected around 5:00 a.m. Wednesday, prompting the city to activate incident response protocols.
- Investigation Status: While a specific cause has not been formally attributed, city officials acknowledged that the event may be a cyberattack.
City officials in New Britain, Connecticut, are investigating a New Britain network disruption that compromised internet connectivity and internal systems early Wednesday morning. The incident forced the city to disconnect specific networks to contain the issue, leaving numerous city hall systems offline.Â
Despite the administrative interruption, the city’s director of operations, Alisha Rayner, confirmed that critical public safety infrastructure remains secure and that police and fire departments are operating without interruption.
Investigation into Connecticut Cyber Incident
The city has deployed additional technical resources to secure and restore systems and is collaborating with state and federal authorities to conduct a forensic assessment of the environment.Â
The city has not explicitly confirmed data exfiltration or identified a specific threat actor. Yet, in response to media inquiries, Rayner noted that characterizing the disruption as a cyberattack is a "fair statement."Â
This event aligns with a broader trend of municipal cybersecurity threats targeting local governments in the region, mirroring similar recent incidents in West Haven and Derby, Connecticut, where attackers exploited network vulnerabilities to disrupt operations.
Strengthening Municipal Cybersecurity Posture
This incident highlights the persistent vulnerability of local government infrastructure to disruptive digital events. For New Britain, the current focus remains on remediation and safe service restoration.Â
Mayor Bobby Sanchez will participate in a briefing on Friday to relay the City of New Britain’s official response to the network disruption.
Earlier this month, Leduc County confirmed a ransomware attack disrupted the municipal operations on Christmas Day, and the City of Santa Paula was hit by a disruptive ransomware attack claimed by Qilin in November.
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