A distributed denial-of-service attack that began Sept. 17 disrupted Direct Communications’ internet service in Eagle Mountain, Utah, closing City Hall and the library before the network stabilized Monday.
The provider said unusually heavy traffic consistent with a DDoS attack caused slow speeds, packet loss and complete outages. Such attacks overwhelm a network with traffic to make services unavailable.
Direct Communications said an upstream provider problem contributed to the continuing disruption. Its initial investigation found effects beyond Eagle Mountain, but the company did not identify another affected community or service area.
Service initially returned Thursday night, but customers continued to experience latency, packet loss and intermittent performance Friday. Another network drop prompted continued work with upstream providers.
The outage also disrupted local government services. Eagle Mountain closed City Hall and the library, while ABC4 Utah reported that city phones and services were unavailable and library service was limited.
Eagle Mountain, west of Utah Lake in northwestern Utah County, had 250 residents when it incorporated in 1996. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated its 2025 population at 66,557.
Direct Communications said Monday that its front-office phone and billing systems were still down. Engineers and upstream providers later made changes to stabilize the network.
Direct Communications Cedar Valley operates the local network and customer office in Eagle Mountain. The company is part of a multistate communications group headquartered in Rockland, Idaho.
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Two July cyber incidents involving regional providers caused similar local government disruptions. Malicious traffic affecting Tidewater Telecom limited Damariscotta Town Office operations in Maine, while a DDoS attack against Greenfield Communications disrupted phones, utility-payment processing and visitor management at the Rancho Murieta Community Services District in California.
The company has not said whether it or an upstream carrier was the direct target, whether the attack involved unauthorized data access or who was responsible.
Direct Communications had not issued a final all-clear Monday but said the network remained stable while monitoring continued.
