Cyber Incident Disrupts Winston-Salem Services, Investigation Ongoing
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, continues to face significant disruptions nearly two weeks after a cyber event began on December 26, 2024. The incident has rendered key city services, including online payment systems for utilities and municipal fees, inoperable. City officials, including Manager Patrick Pate, have confirmed that certain systems were deliberately taken offline to protect sensitive data and prevent further issues. The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the North Carolina National Guard are among the agencies assisting in the investigation. However, the city has not provided details on the cause of the incident, and no timeline has been offered for the full restoration of services. Residents have been advised to handle payments in person, and late fees or service interruptions are being waived during the outage.
The impact of the incident extends to the Winston-Salem Police Department, which has seen its website and public access to police reports temporarily disabled. City officials maintain that no evidence suggests personal or financial data has been compromised, though they encourage residents to monitor financial accounts as a precaution. With no updates on when operations will resume, the incident underscores the ongoing vulnerability of municipal systems to cyber threats. Experts warn that such disruptions could be tests of network defenses or attempts to extract sensitive data. As investigations continue, residents and city staff are left navigating the challenges of a prolonged outage without clarity on when normalcy might return.