The city of Flint, Michigan, with a population of approximately 80,000, is grappling with significant outages across its government services due to a ransomware attack that began on Wednesday. The attack has affected the phones and computers used by city workers, causing widespread disruptions.
In a statement released on Thursday, city officials confirmed that the internal network and internet services had been compromised. As a result, the city is only able to accept cash or check payments for water, sewer, and tax bills, as the attack has disabled online and credit card payment systems. To alleviate the burden on residents, no late fees will be issued, and water services will not be disconnected for missed payments this month.
Flint Mayor Sheldon Neeley assured residents, “We are working hard to resolve this issue and to minimize disruption for Flint residents.” Despite the ongoing challenges, emergency services remain functional. However, several platforms, including the city’s billing system and mapping services, are currently unavailable. Public works operations, such as garbage collection and street maintenance, continue to operate normally.
The city has committed to providing regular updates on an outage website, acknowledging that gaps in service and ongoing changes are expected. While some city employees still have access to their email accounts, phone service remains inconsistent, and some voicemails have been lost due to the attack.
The city’s IT department is investigating whether any resident or employee data was stolen during the incident, though no ransomware group has yet claimed responsibility. Both the FBI and the Michigan Attorney General’s office are involved in the investigation.
Despite these disruptions, the Office of Public Health remains operational, and residents can still pick up free water testing kits and water filters at City Hall. The city’s ongoing public health challenges, particularly the water crisis from 2014 to 2019, have compounded the stress on residents. During that period, Flint’s water was contaminated with lead following a cost-saving switch in the water source by state officials, leading to outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease and exposing thousands of children to dangerously high lead levels.
The city’s statement also highlighted that multiple municipalities and organizations across Michigan have been targeted by cyberattacks in recent months, allowing Flint to leverage resources that have been tested in previous incidents. The state has seen several ransomware attacks this year, including those that severely impacted hospital systems. In June, Traverse City experienced a similar attack, and the University of Michigan faced weeks of shutdowns last fall due to a cyber incident.
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