The city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, has experienced a ransomware attack that led to the shutdown of its computer systems, according to Mayor Willis Thompson. The incident, which was publicly disclosed by Thompson on Thursday evening, has impacted utility payments but has not affected emergency services.
Mayor Thompson issued a statement in a local newspaper, confirming the city's investigation into the ransomware attack and describing the system shutdown as "temporary." He assured residents that no utility services would be disconnected during the investigation and that no late payment penalties would be imposed.
The city is collaborating with the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and other state officials, in addition to private cybersecurity experts, on recovery efforts. A primary focus of the ongoing investigation is to determine if any personal or confidential information belonging to current or former customers, contractors, vendors, employees, or business partners of the city has been compromised. As of now, the city has not made a final determination regarding unauthorized access or acquisition of data.
Vicksburg officials have declined to provide technical details about the incident, citing concerns that such disclosures could hinder the investigation, recovery operations, or the security of city systems. The city has also not commented on whether a ransom demand was made or the identity of the attackers.
Vicksburg, with a population exceeding 20,000, is located approximately 40 minutes west of Jackson, the state capital. Mississippi has recently faced several significant cyber incidents, including a ransomware attack on the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), which is the state's largest healthcare organization. That attack caused weeks of disruption and required FBI assistance for recovery. Other incidents in the state include attacks on a prominent electricity utility last year and another county in 2023.
