Experts 'working around the clock' to restore services, Saint John says in cyber attack update

Two weeks after being hit by a cyber attack, the City of Saint John saysa team of experts is "working around the clock" to restoreits network andvirtual services.

In a news release Friday evening, two weeks to the day after the city wastargeted by ransomware, city manager John Collin said most of its information technology systems and overall network are still offline.

Taking the systems offline was an "immediate and proactive" response to contain the virus, Collin said.

"Our network will be back online only once we are sure that it is safe to do so," he said."I have been impressed with the dedication and professionalism of the team, and have full confidence that the city will recover in the coming weeks."

There is still no confirmation that personal information was accessed in the attack, but the city is working on getting a conclusive answer, the release noted.

"As soon as we know more, we will notify the community immediately," the release stated, once again advising people to check their bank accounts and credit card statements for any unusual activity.

Most city services are fully operational, including police and fire response, road and sidewalk maintenance, garbage and compost collection, bill and parking payment ticket payment,the customer service main line and more.

The following services are temporarily unavailable:

• City of Saint John full website. A temporary website is available atwww.saintjohn.ca
• Some departmental phone lines
• Email to most city hall employees
• Online payments (bank and in-person cash or cheque payments are accepted)

Other bill and ticket payment options are availableand include:

Saint John Water can be paid atcustomer's bank, through pre-authorized payments, or in-person by cheque or cash at the Customer Service Centre on the 1stfloor of City Hall.

Parking ticketscan be paid in-person by cheque or cash at the customer service centre on the first floor of City Hall. Customers must present their ticket when paying in person.

On-street and monthly parking paymentscan be made at parking meter machines or through the HotSpot parking application. Theapplication is hosted by a third-party vendor. Cheque or cash payments for monthly parking can be made in-person at the customer service centre.