FORT SMITH — City officials announced late Thursday a recent cybersecurity event did not originate with the city’s Police Department as previously reported.
In a Sept. 15 news release, City Administrator Jeff Dingman said the event started when a “threat actor” gained access to the city’s systems through Fort Smith Police Department.
However, after further investigation, the response team determined the incident originated in the city’s “broader network,” then spread to the Police Department and other city systems, according to a Thursday news release from the city.
“There was an error in reporting what turned out to be preliminary findings before the investigation concluded. While the investigation continues into how this incident occurred, system recovery is underway, and we will provide further updates as more information is confirmed,” the release states.
Neither the city’s human resources system, Munis financial system, nor any third-party systems were affected by the network security event, according to the city.
“The unauthorized party did not compromise any credit card or banking information belonging to City customers,” the release states. “However, the response team determined that the unauthorized party gained access to files on the City’s fileshare network.”
It was Aug. 17 the city first reported a network security event was affecting computer systems. The city started working with cybersecurity specialists and with federal and state partners in the investigation into the event, according to the Sept. 15 release.
The city plans to implement additional security measures ensuring the integrity of data and systems, Dingman has said.
Ashley Torres can be reached by email at [email protected].
