The Kent District Library is revealing more information about a technology issue that closed all of their branches for multiple days.
KENT COUNTY, Mich — What the Kent District Library (KDL) was originally calling a “network outage,” turned out to be a ransomware attack on the library system’s network.
KDL said they are investigating a ransomware event that is affecting how the libraries operate certain systems and services.
The library system announced the outage on April 24, and hasn’t been able to open more than a handful of branches since then.
KDL said they are working with third-party digital forensic and cybersecurity specialists to investigate the incident and restore full functionality to their affected systems.
In the meantime, the library system is telling patrons that due dates for returns and hold pickup notifications have been adjusted to compensate for the library being closed. They ask that you use the drive-up or walk-up drop boxes to return materials.
Online third-party apps the library provides as resources — like Libby, hoopla and Kanopy — are still available online at kdl.org.
KDL said they are investigating if any private information on their servers was compromised from the ransomware attack.
“Our investigation into this incident is ongoing. KDL wants to assure you that the privacy and security of information in our care are among our top priorities. As part of our response, we are taking steps to understand what, if any, impact there may be to the security of information. To the extent our investigation determines that any personal information has been affected, we will be communicating that to the relevant parties accordingly,” KDL said.
The library system announced Tuesday that it was opening four branches at noon, with some services not available.
The four branches that will open late Tuesday are:
The branches will have reduced hours from 12 p.m. until 8 p.m., and will not have public PCs, printers and copiers, or gaming labs available.
KDL said that patrons can still expect Wi-Fi, materials checkouts, regularly scheduled program and access to study rooms.
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