Editor’s Note: This story was updated Friday, May 5, at 5 p.m.
The City of Dallas issued another update Friday afternoon in response to the ransomware attack from “a group called Royal” that shut down some city webpages and services Wednesday afternoon.
The following statement was issued Friday:
The City of Dallas’ preparation for security threats and early response to network outages caused by a cyberattack May 3 have maintained essential City services for residents throughout the week.
Since Wednesday morning,when a group called Royal initiated an illegal attack targeting the City, Dallas’ Information and Technology Services (ITS) department and ITS’ expert cybersecurity vendors have effectively worked nonstop to swiftly isolate a virus and gradually restore service, prioritizing public safety and resident-facing departments. Much progress has been made, but the recovery process is ongoing.
Thanks to heroic teamwork by our first responders, key public safety functions continue as usual despite technical difficulties. 911 and 311 calls are being answered and Dallas Police Department and Dallas Fire-Rescue are being timely dispatched by radio.
For residents with non-emergency needs, 311 is still taking service requests by phone but the OurDallas app and online portal are temporarily unavailable. Another option is service in person at City facilities during regular business hours.
Sanitation collection remains on schedule and disposal sites are operational during regular business hours. If service is missed, please call 311.
Dallas Water Utilities service is unaffected, and disconnections are discontinued until the outage is resolved. Statements may be paid by mail; however, for those who prefer to pay in-person or online, late fees will not be charged for payments that cannot be processed until service is restored. DWU autopay will draft when service is restored. If you have questions or need assistance, please call (214) 651-1441 or walk into the water lobby at City Hall Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Office of Community Care clinics for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) are open and providing benefits. Vital Statistics is issuing records, but to ensure any records sought are available before you arrive, please call 214-670-3092.
Dallas Public Library branches are open, operational, and can check out media to residents with a library card; however, residents with media due to be returned are asked to hang on to it a little longer. There will be no late fees charged for materials due during the service outage. Digital media is also available via Hoopla and Overdrive. Internet-connected computers may be limited, so users in need of online device access should call ahead to their respective branch.
Dallas Animal Services continues handlingadoptions, fosters, rescues, and returns to owners in-person on a case-by-case basis at 1818 N. Westmoreland Road, 75212.
Code Compliance is issuing garage sale permits only in-person at their headquarters at 3112 Canton Street, 75226.
While pages on the City’s website are being restored, Special Events permit requests may be submitted through the following direct links:
Development Services can review paper plans for walk-ins at 320 E. Jefferson Blvd., 75203 during regular business hours. However, while Permitting, Public Works, and Zoning application and payment systems are offline, submissions cannot be received or approved. This is a dynamic situation, and patience is appreciated while we focus on expediting full-service restoration.
Municipal Court remains closed Monday, May 8. There will be no court hearings and no trials. Cases scheduled during this outage will be reset, and updates will be mailed. Citation payments and documents due while Municipal Court is closed will be accepted after service is restored. Please note, no one from the City of Dallas will reach out to members of the public to ask for payment in person or by phone. Never give out your password or payment information by phone or through an email link. To protect against cyber threats please install the Dallas Secure app on your iOS or Android device. If you are contacted by someone seeking payment who claims to be from a City of Dallas department, please take note of the number they are calling from and the number they reached you on, then hang up and call the City of Dallas department they claim to be from to report this potential impersonation.
For years the City has monitored to ensure that residents’ and vendors’ information is not leaked. If it were, we would advise the public immediately. At this point, we do not believe that’s the case. Please pardon the inconvenience, thank you again, and stay safe!
City of Dallas public statement
Editor’s Note: This story was updated Thursday at 5 p.m.
Services to residents continue with some delays and disruptions due to the City of Dallas network outage. Departmental updates released late Thursday afternoon include:
ITS isolated the issue and is gradually restoring service prioritizing public safety and resident-facing departments.
DPD and DFR service continues as usual.
311 and 911 calls continue to be received and dispatched.
Dallas Water Utilities is unable to process payments. Disconnections will be discontinued until the outage is resolved.
Vital Statistics is issuing records with limited capacity. Some records may be unavailable, especially from prior to 2005. Residents may contact Vital Records at 214-670-3092.
Women, Infants & Children (WIC) is maintaining normal operations at all clinics and able to issue benefits.
Courts remain closed and cases will be reset; jurors do not need to report for service and notices will be sent by mail.
Code Compliance Services response to service requests may be delayed. Code is currently unable to process Single-Family and Multi-Tenant registrations. Garage sale permits can be issued in-person only at 3112 Canton St.
Dallas Animal Services is responding to injury and emergency requests and non-emergency response is delayed. DAS is handling adoptions, fosters, rescue and return to owners on a case-by-case basis at 1818 N. Westmoreland Rd. during regular business hours.
For Office of Special Events permits please use the following links to login and create application:
City Secretary’s Office Open Records Requests will be delayed.
Development Services, Permitting, Public Works, and Zoning applications and payments cannot be received, and permits cannot be issued.
Updates will continue to be shared at DallasCityNews.net. Chief Information Officer William “Bill” Zielinski will brief the Public Safety Committee Monday.
Update From Dallas City Hall, Thursday, 12:30 p.m.
City of Dallas webpages remained down Thursday, following a likely ransomware attack.
City officials confirmed Thursday that the attack was initiated by “a group called Royal.” The Public Safety Committee will be briefed Monday.
The following service updates were announced:
DPD and DFR service to residents is unaffected.
911 calls continue to be received and dispatched.
311 Calls are being answered but non-emergency service requests may be delayed.
Courts are closed and LiveChat is inaccessible. All cases will be reset; jurors do not need to report for service and notices will be sent by mail.
CSO – Saturday’s election is unaffected; Dallas County will share official information including results. Meeting notices are being posted and meetings may be viewed at dallascityhall.webex.com, dallascitynews.net/watch-live, and Spectrum channels 16 & 95 and AT&T U-verse at 99. Contracts may be delayed.
Dallas Public Library All branches are open and in-person checkouts continue; online materials are currently unavailable.
DWU Billing is unaffected; meter reading will be delayed. Only IVR can take credit card payments. Disconnections will be discontinued until the outage is resolved.
City Manager T.C. Broadnax issued the following statement:
T.C. Broadnax
“Since City of Dallas’ Information and Technology Services detected a cyber threat Wednesday morning, employees have been hard at work to contain the issue and ensure continued service to our residents. While the source of the outage is still under investigation, I am optimistic that the risk is contained. For those departments affected, emergency plans prepared and practiced in advance are paying off. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank residents for their understanding as we continue to work around the clock until this issue is addressed. For updates, please keep an eye on dallascitynews.net.”
Dallas City Hall Announces Possible Ransomware Attack Wednesday Afternoon
During a Dallas City Council briefing Wednesday afternoon that began without a hitch shortly after 9 a.m., City Hall issued a media advisory for the second time in as many weeks citing a network outage.
This time, officials acknowledged city servers were likely compromised by ransomware.
Dallas City Council briefings were canceled two weeks ago as officials cited a network outage and were unable to stream the council meeting online.
Shortly after the 9 a.m. briefings were delayed and ultimately canceled April 19, some city departments sent emails saying callers may have trouble getting through to the 311 non-emergency hotline. Development Services Department officials said their dashboard was unavailable and permits could not be issued because of the network outage. An email issued the following day said the outage was addressed and webpages and call center operations were restored.
The statement released Wednesday, May 3, references a network outage that officials believe is related to a ransomware attack. While the council meeting was still streaming at the time the email was released, we had difficulty accessing other city webpages.
District 12 Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn, who is running unopposed in Saturday’s City Council election, issued the following statement to CandysDirt.com.
“In our role as Chair and Vice Chair of the Government Performance and Financial Management Committee, Councilwoman Gay Willis and I were briefed along with Councilmember Ridley, also a member of the GPFM Committee, on the ransomware attack experienced by the City of Dallas early this morning,” she said.
Cara Mendelsohn
“We are heartened to know that the newly-implemented systems helped to identify and assist in containing the attack and our plans and procedures are being used to address this critical incident,” Mendelsohn continued. “The newly-established Technology Accountability Report, instituted by the committee a few months ago, has allowed us a deeper understanding and governance of our IT needs. Our vendors are on-site to assist IT management and staff in restoring functionality as soon as possible. We are encouraged the attack was limited due to newly-implemented tools, but seems to have focused on public safety and servers that have impacted 311 primarily. Continued investment and updates to our IT department are needed to continue securing City of Dallas resident data and essential city records.”
The city’s statement comes in the wake of a massive ransomware attack that shut down the Dallas Central Appraisal District for months.
The City of Dallas issued the following media advisory Wednesday afternoon:
Wednesday morning, the City’s security monitoring tools notified our Security Operations Center (SOC) that a likely ransomware attack had been launched within our environment. Subsequently, the City has confirmed that a number of servers have been compromised with ransomware, impacting several functional areas, including the Dallas Police Department Website. The City team, along with its vendors, are actively working to isolate the ransomware to prevent its spread, to remove the ransomware from infected servers, and to restore any services currently impacted. The Mayor and City Council was notified of the incident pursuant to the City’s Incident Response Plan (IRP). The City is currently working to assess the complete impact, but at this time, the impact on the delivery of City services to its residents is limited. Should a resident experience a problem with a particular City service, they should contact 311. For emergencies, they should contact 911.
April Towery covers Dallas City Hall and is an assistant editor for CandysDirt.com. She studied journalism at Texas A&M University and has been an award-winning reporter and editor for more than 25 years.
