Cyber Incident Victim: City of West Haven
Date:
Dec 2024
Location:
United States of America
Summary
The City of West Haven experienced an external system breach involving unauthorized access to its IT infrastructure, prompting an immediate shutdown of affected systems and engagement of external cybersecurity professionals to investigate. The incident compromised personal identifiers, including names, of 4,932 individuals, with one Maine resident affected. Following restoration of operations using established backup protocols, the municipality notified impacted parties and offered 24 months of identity protection services through Experian IdentityWorks. Authorities were notified, and the investigation remains ongoing to assess the full scope of data exposure.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 3 techniques |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
The City of West Haven, Connecticut, experienced an IT system security incident first detected on December 25, 2024, which prompted an immediate shutdown of all municipal systems as a precautionary measure. The city’s IT Department identified the breach as an external system compromise attributed to hacking, leading to unauthorized access to personal data. A subsequent investigation, supported by external cybersecurity professionals, confirmed the incident impacted 4,932 individuals, including one Maine resident. The breach involved the acquisition of names combined with other personal identifiers, though specific data types were not detailed in public disclosures. City officials reported the incident to law enforcement and regulatory authorities while maintaining operational continuity through pre-existing backups that enabled full system restoration within days of the shutdown.
Mayor Dorinda Borer publicly addressed the incident on January 11, 2025, acknowledging the city’s reliance on established backup protocols and prior security measures, including employee training and external network security reviews. Affected individuals received written notifications by January 29, 2025, accompanied by offers of 24 months of identity protection services through Experian IdentityWorks. The city did not disclose technical specifics of the attack vector, containment actions beyond system isolation, or evidence of data misuse. No prior breaches within the preceding 12 months were reported. Restoration efforts concluded swiftly due to the IT Department’s response and backup integrity, with no reported disruptions to municipal services following system reactivation.