Foster City Declares State of Emergency After Suspected Cyberattack

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The city of Foster City, California has taken most of its computer systems offline after detecting suspicious activity on its network earlier this week, with city officials describing it as a cybersecurity breach that has disrupted city services. The city has activated emergency response protocols and is working with cybersecurity experts to investigate and restore the systems, while emergency services remain operational.

Why it matters

Cyberattacks on local governments are becoming increasingly common, with hackers targeting critical infrastructure and disrupting essential public services. This incident in Foster City highlights the vulnerability of municipal computer networks and the importance of robust cybersecurity measures to protect against such attacks.

The details

According to city officials, the suspicious cyber activity was first reported early Thursday morning and widely affected city operations. Most public services outside of emergency response were temporarily paused, and there are concerns that public information may have been accessed, though that has not been confirmed. The City Manager's Office has started the process of declaring a local state of emergency to help secure outside assistance in responding to the incident.

• The suspicious cyber activity was first reported early Thursday morning.
• Around 1 p.m. on Friday, city officials activated response protocols and announced they are working with cybersecurity experts.

What’s next

The city is working with cybersecurity experts to investigate the incident and restore its computer systems. Officials have also started the process of declaring a local state of emergency to secure outside assistance.