December 21, 2023 |
Photo – CISA logo – Courtesy DHS.gov
Rawlins officials discovered a city-wide computer breach last month. The city is confident that the personal data of residents was not affected by the incursion.
On November 8th, the United States Department of Homeland Security informed Rawlins officials that someone had hacked into the city’s computer servers. Rawlins Police Chief Mike Ward said Carbon County Emergency Manager Lenny Layman immediately began arranging state and federal assistance.
Chief Ward said Layman called in the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA. While CISA was preparing to mobilize, Layman also contacted the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security.
Chief Ward said CISA brought in a non-governmental agency called the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, also known as MS-ISAC. The Rawlins police chief said MS-ISAC helps victims of hacking discover how entry into their system was made and what information may have been stolen.
Chief Ward said the Wyoming Department of Homeland Security offered Rawlins its Cyber Assistance Response Effort team. Ward said CARE helped the city implement security measures suggested by the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center.
Chief Ward said MS-ISAC concluded that a hack did, in fact occur. The police chief said the non-governmental agency does not believe that any data was stolen.
Chief Ward said MC-ISAC was able to discover how the intruder gained access into the city’s servers. The police chief said the Wyoming Department of Homeland Security provided the city with the ability to track, in real time, any future unauthorized server usage.
Chief Ward was unwilling to share the exact method the hacker used to infiltrate the city’s computer system. The police chief said the network weakness has been fully addressed and no longer exists.
Chief Ward also said the city isn’t entirely sure how long the intruder had access to the servers.
The Rawlins police chief said he does not know who hacked the city’s computer network. Chief Ward said the federal Department of Homeland Security is handling the investigation. However, because the hacker could be anywhere in the world, Chief Ward said his or her identity may never be known.
Chief Ward said the hacker appears not to have left any viruses or data collection software on the city’s servers during the incursion. The police chief said the intruder did not have access to residents’ personal data. Chief Ward said all billing information is stored on an off-site server.
Chief Ward said the outside billing contractor’s servers are not connected to the city’s computer system.
Chief Ward thanked the federal and state agencies that helped with the breach investigation. The police chief said he was especially grateful for Carbon County Emergency Manager Lenny Layman and County IT Director Matt Webster for their speedy and thorough assistance. Chief Ward also thanked Carbon County Sheriff Alex Bakken for allowing Rawlins police officers to use his reporting system while the city’s was offline during the investigation.
Chief Ward reiterated that no residents’ data was stolen during the city’s server breach.
