City of Columbia confirms attack that knocked online services offline

The City of Columbia, South Carolina, confirmed an attack on October 23 that knocked several online services offline. City Manager Teresa Wilson confirmed the attack in a video statement posted to Facebook on October 23, noting that the city “is weighing its options” and has contacted outside cybersecurity professionals for advice. Municipal IT staff detected the suspicious activity and alerted state law enforcement without delay, with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division taking the lead on the criminal probe.

The disruption knocked offline several public-facing services, including MyColaSC for reporting local issues, Animal Services online services, Parks and Recreation reservations, Geographic Information Systems maps, and Business Licensing and Planning and Development Services. However, critical systems remained fully operational, including the Columbia Police Department, Columbia-Richland Fire Department, 911 communications, Columbia Water systems, and the city’s Payment Center, which continued to process online payments. Affected departments created alternative processes so residents could still receive most services while technicians worked to restore the systems, though the city had not provided a timeline for restoration as of October 23.

Animal Services experienced a temporary shelter shutdown on Wednesday stemming from network and shelter management software disruptions, and the city hoped to reopen the shelter at noon Friday, with payment services related to Animal Services remaining down as of October 23, according to City Manager Teresa Wilson. The municipality pledged to release further details regarding the investigation, the restoration of services, protective measures, and any confirmed impacts to information. On October 23, the Federal Bureau of Investigation informed WIS News 10 that it was aware of the breach but was not participating in the investigation, while a spokesperson for SLED indicated that the agency had no further details to disclose at this time.

Columbia resident Tim Williams said the situation is scary and very concerning because the internet is worldwide. An unnamed city employee described chaotic conditions behind closed doors, including staff members who were unable to clock in and out as other systems went down.

As South Carolina’s capital city and home to the University of South Carolina, Columbia has more than 1.5 million people living within a 60-mile radius.