Baltimore hit with ransomware attack

The city of Baltimore was hit by a ransomware attack on Tuesday and has shut down its servers, new Baltimore Mayor Bernard Young said on Twitter.

He said that the city’s “essential services” are still operational and that as of this afternoon, there is “no evidence” that any personal information has “left the system.”

“Baltimore City core essential services (police, fire, EMS and 311) are still operational but it has been determined that the city’s network has been infected with a ransomware virus,” Young tweeted. “City employees are working diligently to determine the source and extent of the infection.”

Young, the former City Council president who took over as mayor just last week after the resignation of former Mayor Catherine Pugh, said the city had “seen no evidence that any personal data has left the system.”

“Out of an abundance of precaution, the city has shut down the majority of its servers,” he added. “We will provide updates as information becomes available.”

The Baltimore Sun reported that City Hall staff were told to disconnect their computers from the internet. Democratic City Councilman Ryan Dorsey told the publication that the ransomware virus is “apparently spreading computer-to-computer.”

At least two city services were impacted as of Tuesday afternoon.