North Miami City Hall to reopen following cyberattack that disrupted government services
MIAMI — North Miami City Hall is expected to reopen Monday after the city experienced a possible cyberattack that impacted some essential government services last week.
According to the City of North Miami, "a possible breach affecting our network systems" prompted the city's IT team along with local and federal authorities to investigate the extent and cause of the cyberattack.
"We are working to secure our systems and are committed to keeping the public informed," the city said last week. "Updates will be provided as information becomes available."
In a Friday update, the city shared it will reopen city hall during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with limited services.
"We are committed to serving our residents and will continue to provide updates as we work toward full restoration," North Miami shared. "Thank you for your continued support."
Limited services
Here are the following services that have either been impacted or remain operational as the investigation continues:
Public meetings
The Special Magistrate Hearing scheduled for Wednesday was canceled.
North Miami Public Library
The North Miami Public Library is open and running normally. Additionally, early voting activities were not impacted, the city added.
Development Services (Land Use Division and Building Division)
The North Miami Building Department is open, where permit applications will be accepted and plan review will resume except those submitted online, the city shared. Building inspections and inspection scheduling will also resume.
Land use services, including development permits, certificates of use and business tax receipts have resumed. However, the city said application status updates for those previously submitted online are unavailable.
Neighborhood Services Department
All current code enforcement-related deadlines, fines and hearings have resumed after being postponed during the cyberinvestigation.
The NSD licensing team is currently accepting applications for re-occupancy inspections. However, updates regarding historical information about properties, such as prior pending cases for existing violations, is currently unavailable. Additionally, all hearings remain postponed until further notice, the city shared.
North Miami Beach said urgent matters such as life and safety concerns may be reported to Neighborhood Services Department personnel for case-by-case evaluation and can be reached by emailing NSD@NorthMiamiFL.gov.
Parks and Recreation
All special events and programming facilitated by the city's parks and recreation department will take place as scheduled. At this time, the department will only accept cash payments, which can be made in person at the Parks and Recreation Administrative Office (Scott Galvin Community Center) at 1600 NE 126th St. and the Penny Sugarman Tennis Center at 1795 San Souci Blvd.
MOCA North Miami
Summer camp at MOCA North Miami will take place as scheduled.
NoMi Golden Silver Seniors
The NoMi Golden Silver Seniors programs and activities will take place as scheduled.
NoMi Food Pantry
NoMi Food Pantry operations will continue as scheduled.
Passport services
All scheduled passport services through the North Miami City Clerk's Office are postponed until further notice. For a list of passport service facilities, visit www.travel.state.gov/passport.
Cyber concerns
This is the second cyberattack to hit a Florida city or organization in a matter of days after the Orlando-based blood donation center OneBlood was impacted by a ransomware attack the week before.
Despite the reopening, people have concerns regarding the incident as cyberattacks have become more common.
"It's a surprise but it happens a lot these days," said North Miami resident Michael McDearmaid.
McDearmaid told CBS News Miami that he was shocked, as he and others questioned what kind of information might have been compromised.
"You know it makes you feel insecure and a little afraid," he said. "You just don't know who to trust, where to trust. You know what platforms to trust."
On Saturday evening, North Miami provided additional details regarding the investigation and addressed rumors regarding the nature of the incident.
"We want to emphasize that the investigation to determine the scope of impacted data remains ongoing," the city stated. "However, we are treating all aspects of this situation with the utmost urgency and sensitivity."
Cybersecurity expert Reginald Andre told CBS News Miami that a municipality falling victim to a cyberattack is dangerous and not people, but organizations, need to stay vigilant.
"If it sounds too good to be true, don't click on it and always contact the source to see," he said. "So if I got a text message from Amazon, I'm not going to click the link — I'm going to my Amazon.com account and I'm going to check it out."
Andre told CBS News Miami that the reason why we're seeing more cyberattacks is because the investment into cybersecurity isn't happening.
"They're still looking at it as an expense and they're not looking at it like this big issue and it needs to be first in line on the budget to protect the systems," he said. "And, they need to start investing in cybersecurity and not just IT support."
North Miami informed its residents that emergency response services, including the 911 call center, remain fully operational as the process unfolds. Additionally, if residents need to contact the city, they can use the Community Hotline Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (305) 895-9804.
"Ensuring the safety and well-being of our community is our top priority," the city stated. "The City of North Miami is taking every measure to maintain uninterrupted emergency services."