Anne Arundel County government still recovering from cyber incident
The Anne Arundel County government is still recovering from a cyber incident that has impacted public service and government buildings, county officials say.
County leaders are not calling it an attack but they say they're limiting how much information they make public because they are assessing the damage and don't want to tip "potential threat actors."
Anne Arundel County buildings reopened on Tuesday, Feb. 25, as the cyber investigation continues.
The county notified the public of the issue on Saturday, saying the incident came from an outside source. Cyber specialists say full-service restoration could take days.
"While buildings will be open to the public, residents are encouraged to contact departments to determine their operation status before visiting as some services may be limited," Anne Arundel County officials said.
County officials said they are taking "precautionary measures" such as limiting access to the internet until they are able to return to full operations. Some buildings were closed on Monday, Feb. 24.
County officials are working with the Anne Arundel County Office of Information Technology, public safety officials, cybersecurity specialists, and each department to conduct a full investigation.
"Our Office of Information Technology, public safety officials, and cybersecurity specialists have been working around the clock since this incident began on Saturday morning, and remain focused on getting critical services back online safely and as quickly as possible," Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said.
At this time, the full scope of impact is still being determined.
"The first step is trying to figure out exactly what happened and limiting the incident to the greatest extent possible," said Markus Rauschecker, Executive Director of the University of Maryland's Center for Health and Homeland Security.
Protection against cyber attacks
Rauschecker says there has been an uptick in cyber incidents targeting institutions, such as local municipalities and healthcare systems.
"Cyber criminals are smart," Rauschecker said. "They know to go after high-profile targets like local governments and hospitals because these institutions provide critical services and they hold a lot of sensitive information."
Rauschecker told WJZ that preparing for cyber incidents is crucial in its defense.
"Maryland does do a good job of that," Rauschecker said. "The state and the local governments work really well together in terms of preparing for cyber incidents. There's been a lot of planning over the years."
It's unclear whether any data was breached, but Rauschecker says residents should keep an eye on updates from the county's social media just in case.
"To then take any necessary steps that might be recommended going forward," Rauschecker said.
Schools and libraries not impacted
Anne Arundel County Public Library and Anne Arundel County Public Schools are not impacted and are operating normally, according to county officials.
Recreation and Parks will be open
All Department of Recreation and Parks amenities, including regional parks, will be open.
Recycling centers and landfills closed
All county recycling centers and landfills were closed, but normal curbside collections resumed as scheduled.
