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Suisun City Shuts Network After Malware Attack

Routing 911 calls to Solano County underscores pressure on the city's small IT team as state and federal investigators probe a possible ransom demand.

Overview

  • City IT detected malicious software early on Aug. 7 and the city shut down its entire network to contain the intrusion and preserve evidence for a federal investigation.
  • The council declared a state of emergency to speed access to state and federal aid and to help recover costs tied to the outage.
  • Emergency 911 calls are being handled by the Solano County dispatch center and local police and fire units continue to respond, while many city offices and public services remain closed.
  • City leaders convened an emergency meeting with a closed session to consider demands from a person or persons claiming control of city records and to discuss anticipated litigation.
  • The incident highlights how small municipal IT teams and legacy systems increase vulnerability to ransomware-style extortion, a pattern seen in other recent local government attacks.