Bill payment sites down as City of Atlanta works to resolve cyber attack issues

ATLANTA — Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms says service has not been restored for the city after a cyber attack.

While Bottoms told Channel 2 Action News Monday morning that the city is making more progress each day, the situation is not yet resolved.

“This is much bigger than a ransomware attack. This really is an attack on our government, which means this is an attack on all of us and we just want to continue to be thoughtful, and will continue to be thoughtful to make sure that as a city that we are doing all that we need to do to make sure that we are secure going forward,” Bottoms said.

Many city departments still feel the impact of the ransomware attack, including at municipal court.

[READ: City of Atlanta confirms 'ransomware cyber attack' on network servers]

Bill payment sites are down, and people will not be charged if ticket payments are late as a result.

Watershed Management customers need to apply for new service in person, and customers cannot pay their bills online or in person for now.

The hack has also forced Atlanta police to write up officer reports by hand.

City council is working on a new workflow.

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While the mayor said there’s still no evidence any sensitive employee or resident data has been compromised, residents like Arnette Barber told us they're worried.

“That is pretty scary, and I do expect them to put somethings in place that this doesn’t happen again," Barber said.

The cyber attack happened early Thursday morning. Since then, Bottoms said teams have been working 24/7 to get city systems back online. She said the city has brought in what she calls “best in class” external partners for guidance.

[READ: Atlanta City Hall employees told to not turn on computers]

“I wish that I could say it would be the last time, but it really never is the last time. We just have to make sure that we’re doing all that we can do and making the investments in the city to be as protected as possible,” Bottoms said.

So far, Bottoms has given no indication that the city will pay the six-bitcoin ransom, which equates to about $50,000.

“We are a resilient city, and we are a resilient government,” Bottoms said.

City officials tweeted Monday:

"There is no evidence to show that customer or employee data has been compromised. However, customers and employees are encouraged to take precautionary measures to monitor and protect their personal information."

Cox Media Group