MACON, Ga. — Macon-Bibb County says they are getting more department web pages and some county services back online after a potential cyberattack disrupted the county's online operations. It comes nearly a week after the county noticed suspicious activity on their server and shut the county's network down.
In a Friday afternoon update, they say "about 90%" of their department web pages have been restored, and the county SeeClickFix website is back up for requesting county services.
“We are continuing to make progress toward restoring full connectivity," County Manager Keith Moffett said in the release.
Some online services such as park and pavilion rentals were reintroduced, and the Macon-Bibb County Tax Commissioners Office could again transfer vehicle titles and tags as of Thursday.
However, many other services are still out of service, and the county has continually said they don't have an explicit timeline for when things will be back to normal.
The county says payments for property taxes, garbage bills or online payments for the courts are still out of service. While the courts can accept money orders in person, they ask the public to call ahead to ensure the money order is for the exact amount.
But the announcement is a step in the right direction. Back on Monday, practically all county websites were out of service and the office's could not accept phone calls or emails.
Landline services were restored on Tuesday and county emails were up-and-running on Wednesday.
They also say they're adding "additional security safeguards" in the wake of the disruption, but Macon-Bibb County has not said much about what exactly happened. Originally, they quoted county manager Moffett as saying "we are not unique in this attack." But the county has largely called it "a potential cybersecurity incident."
The county says they noticed unusual activity on its servers on Saturday morning, and they then "immediately" took the network down "to prevent any access."
On Wednesday, county spokesperson Chris Floore said they have not received any ransomware demands. The county says they've been in close cooperation with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security for guidance as they try to get services up and running.
There were also concerns among county employees about whether they would be paid, which was scheduled for Friday.
On Wednesday, Floore confirmed county employees would be paid as usual. Floore said their first priority was ensuring 911 was still operational and secure. Their second priority was ensuring county employees would be paid.
In the update, Moffett said they are focused on "doing this the right way so we can minimize the impact to our system, to our employees, and to our community."