Cyber Incident Victim: City of Newport
Date:
Jun 2022
Location:
United States of America
Summary
A virus disrupted the City of Newport's internal network and email services, leading to prolonged outages and operational challenges. The municipality's IT vendor identified the infection, initiated recovery efforts, and restored partial network functionality while continuing to assess the scope and origin of the incident. Authorities treated the situation as a potential cyber attack, involving state police as a precautionary measure. Residents were advised to use alternative communication channels, including in-person visits or online directories, during the service interruption. Full restoration timelines remained unclear as work continued to eliminate the virus and secure affected systems.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 2 techniques |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
The City of Newport experienced a disruption to its internal network and email server beginning around the weekend of June 4-5, 2022. City Manager Joseph Nicholson confirmed a virus affected the system, though its origin and full scope remained undetermined during the initial response phase. The city's IT vendor, Custom Computers, identified the virus on June 9 and began taking services offline for investigation. While partial network functionality was restored within days, the email system remained inoperable with no definitive timeline for recovery. Officials acknowledged the virus specifically compromised the email server but expressed limited concern about its severity. The city treated the incident as a potential cyber attack following standard protocols, which included notifying the Rhode Island State Police. By June 10, Newport issued a public statement advising residents to use alternative contact methods, including the city website's staff directory or in-person visits during business hours. Staff worked through the weekend to assess damage and restore services, though critical systems remained offline during this period.
Newport's Communications Manager Thomas Shevlin emphasized that all server outages automatically trigger cyber attack protocols, reflecting established incident response procedures. The disruption impacted municipal operations by forcing staff to rely on non-digital communication channels for public services. Residents requiring assistance faced limited options due to the email outage, with the city maintaining phone and in-person service availability. The city established a dedicated call center (1-855-516-3873) operating Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time for concerned individuals, though no evidence suggested personal data compromise at this stage. Subsequent press releases dated July 22 and August 15, 2022 indicated ongoing response activities, though their specific content wasn't detailed in available sources. Restoration efforts focused on methodical system analysis rather than rushed reactivation to ensure complete virus eradication. The incident caused sustained operational limitations, particularly in electronic communications between residents and municipal departments.