City addresses Cyber Security Incident

Huntsville Item 



The City of Huntsville reported a Cyber Security Incident on Friday that impacted multiple systems. According to a press release issued at noon Monday, the City took "immediate steps to protect our environment, including disconnecting certain functionality to protect against any further harm."

The City also reported that immediate steps were taken to conduct a thorough investigation, including outside cybersecurity and data privacy professionals.

"The investigation is in its early stages and ongoing," said City Manager Aron Kulhavy. "Our goals right now are to remove any and all infections from our systems, make sure all devices are clean, and restore functionality. We are working as quickly as we can to determine the scope and impact of the incident."

City offices have been open for business and will remain open to customers. However, all online payment and credit card options are disabled.

"At this time, we will not suspend services for non-payment," said Kulhavy. "We appreciate your understanding and partnership as we work through this issue. We will keep you apprised of relevant developments as the investigation continues.While cybersecurity threats continue to impact all of us, we are taking ever-increasing measures to protect the information entrusted to us."

The Council will be holding a Special Meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25, at City Hall, to allow Council to convene in Executive Session to receive legal advice on the incident. The agenda was posted at 4:55 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, meaning their website is still functioning with limited access to payment options for any City service.

The Huntsville Police Department has posted to their social media sites that computers are still down and unable to produce accident reports due to the network issues. Instead, citizens are directed to the Texas Department of Transportation’s website C.R.I.S. Purchase that allows citizens to find their crash reports.

The City’s Utility department is only accepting cash, checks or money orders for payments on accounts as that system is also disabled. Payments can be dropped off or delivered to the Utility Billing Department at 1212 Avenue M.