City of Akron Still Dealing with Cyber Attack
Written by Jeanne Destro
The City of Akron is still dealing with last week's cyber attack, letting residents know some systems are still off line, as they try to make sure all their equipment is free of the virus that took down part of the city's network.
The City’s online 3-1-1 portal is currently unavailable, but the 3-1-1 phone system is working for both landlines and cell phone users.
City phone systems and AkronOhio.gov are functioning, but the city email system has been greatly affected. Residents are urged to contact city departments by phone if they need assistance.
More details below from City Press Release:
City of Akron Continues Work To Remediate Malicious Virus
Some City services will be temporarily affected
Akron, Ohio, January 28, 2019 – The City of Akron is continuing its efforts to combat malicious cyber activity. These ongoing mitigation efforts are resulting in software and hardware disruptions to certain City platforms.
The City was first alerted to this malicious cyber activity on Tuesday, January 22nd through an unsuccessful attempt to access city funds. Over the weekend, the joint City, State and Federal team of IT and cyber security professionals worked to contain the malicious cyber activity and placed the City of Akron in a strong defensible position to begin proper remediation of the virus. The remediation process will evolve and remain constantly fluid, and it will ultimately require some city business systems to be taken offline temporarily. However, all vital systems related to public safety, including 9-1-1 and police/fire dispatch, are secure and remain fully operational.
The City still does not have any intelligence that suggests any personal information of our customers, taxpayers, or citizens was harvested. There is no indication that there is any risk to public safety.
Despite lack of access to some systems, the City of Akron government is open for business and operational. Mayor Horrigan has tasked the joint IT team with prioritizing our customer-facing systems to minimize the impact on customer interactions and public services.
Current impacts to the public include:
The City’s online 3-1-1 portal is currently unavailable, but the 3-1-1 phone system is working for both landlines and cell phone users.
City phone systems and www.AkronOhio.gov are functioning, but the city email system has been greatly affected. Residents are urged to contact city departments by phone if they need assistance. Citizens may also call 311 / (330) 375-2311 to be connected to the correct department. City employees currently don’t have access to emails.
Certain software and hardware systems are unavailable within the Akron Municipal Court, but the court is still functioning.
Online payment systems may be temporarily available.
Credit card payments are unavailable to the public in certain city departments, including Recreation, Building, and Tax. Tax payments can be mailed to City of Akron Income Tax Division, 1 Cascade Plaza - 11th Floor, Akron, OH 44308-1100.
For water/sewer utility bill payments, customers can:
Mail payment to Akron Utilities Business Office, PO Box 3674, Akron, Ohio 44309-3674, or
Visit the office at 146 South High Street, Room 211, Akron, Ohio 44308-1894 for personal assistance.
Late fees and penalties will not be assessed for customers who are unable to make a timely payment due to a payment system being unavailable. Utility service will not be disconnected due to late or non-payment until electronic payment processes are accessible and functioning.
The City of Akron will continue to send out pertinent updates to keep the public informed. We thank the public for their ongoing patience as we work to address this malicious activity. For the most up to date information, please follow the City of Akron on Facebook and Twitter.
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The National Center for Missing & Exploited children asking for your help locating 17 year old Khiajah Habeen Ullah who's been missing from her home in Mansfield, since November 17th.
They say She may still be in the local area or she may have traveled to Akron, OH.
She is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information about Khiajah is asked to contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST) or the Mansfield City Police Department at 1-419-522-1234.
NCMEC Poster: http://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/1324668/1/screen
(Summit Metro Parks) For the safety of our visitors, Summit Metro Parks centers will be closed, and all programs are canceled on Wednesday, January 30 and Thursday, January 31, due to extremely cold temperatures forecasted for those dates. Closed locations include:
- F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm Visitors Center, 1828 Smith Rd., Akron
- Liberty Park Nature Center, 9999 Liberty Rd., Twinsburg
- Summit Lake Nature Center, 390 W. Crosier St., Akron
Sled hills and ice skating ponds will also be closed. All other park areas will remain open. For more information, call 330-867-5511 or visit summitmetroparks.org.
Summit Metro Parks manages more than 14,000 acres, including 16 parks, several conservation areas and more than 150 miles of trails, with 22.4 miles of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. Annual attendance averages 5 million visits.
Akron's First Medical Marijuana Grow Facility Opens
Written by Jeanne DestroHarvest time in Akron, as the city's first licensed medical marijuana growing facility opened its doors yesterday, to show off their new buds.
AT-CPC, unveiled their new "Mimosa" and "Cuyahoga River" cannabis strains, which they will be used in medical marijuana products sold under the brand names "Song Wellness", and "Josh D".
Local officials, including Congressman Tim Ryan (pictured below) toured the facility at 1055 Home Avenue, in Akron's North Hill neighborhood.
(Community Support Services) As the National Weather Service warns that Wednesday, January 30, 2019 could be one of the coldest days on record, Akron area organizations charged with aiding the homeless are working to ensure that everyone will have access to shelter.
Community Support Services, Inc. operates the Homeless Outreach and Intake Center at 111 E. Voris Street, Akron; bringing supportive services for persons experiencing homelessness under one roof. Individuals who are homeless or at risk for homelessness, have symptoms suggestive of severe and persistent mental illness and/or substance abuse disorder, and who is not already active in mental health and/or addiction treatment is eligible to utilize all the services at the Center. If a homeless individual does not meet program criteria, outreach workers will attempt to connect the individual with other community agencies and services. The Homeless Outreach office can be reached at 330-762-4663.
Haven of Rest Ministries, 175 E. Market Street, Akron, is accepting admissions at all hours in preparation for the cold.
The City of Akron has opened warming centers at the following locations:
- Mason Park Community Center, 700 E. Exchange Street
- Patterson Park Community Center, 800 Patterson Ave (North Hill)
- Summit Lake Community Center, 380 W. Crosier Street
- Lawton Street Community Center, 1225 Lawton Street (near West Side)
All these warming centers will be open from 8:30 am to 10:00 pm.
According to Bob Stokes, President and CEO of Community Support Services, “Recent studies have shown that approximately 700 homeless individuals die each year due to hypothermia. With this dangerous polar vortex forecast this week, we are reaching out to the homeless men and women throughout our community in as many ways as we can to give them this potentially life-saving information.”
Community Support Services, Inc. is a leader in behavioral healthcare for Summit County and the surrounding region. The agency provides comprehensive, high quality, cost-effective treatment, rehabilitation, advocacy, and support for recovery, primarily to persons most in need, to enhance the quality of their lives.
Meanwhile, the Salvation Army of Summit County is responding as well:
(Salvation Army) Local offices of The Salvation Army in Akron and Barberton will be open as warming centers as temperatures are expected to drop to what could be record lows in the area this week.
· Both Summit County Salvation Army locations will serve as drop in center/warming sites Tuesday through Thursday, January 29 through January 31, 2019.
· Hours for the downtown Akron location, 190 S. Maple Street, south of St. Vincent de Paul Church on West Market Street, will be from 9:00AM to 4:00PM.
· The Barberton location, 560 Wooster Road West, will be open from 9:30AM to 4:00PM.
· Donations of new or clean, gently used winter hats, scarves and gloves in all sizes will be appreciated and accepted at both locations.
Staff with the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is working to clear snow and ice that's accumulated throughout the park since workers were furloughed more than a month ago.
With Friday's announcement of the continuining resolution to re-open the government for at least three weeks, the park expects to fully resume regular operations on Wednesday, though all trails and park restrooms are already open. In addition, the Boston Store Visitor Center is set to open Tuesday morning at 9:30.
See the full press release regarding the re-opening of the park
(CVNP) Brecksville, OH – With the enactment of the continuing resolution, staff at Cuyahoga Valley National Park have already begun the process of opening facilities that will allow the park to fully resume regular operations on Wednesday, January 30. Due to significant winter weather during the lapse in appropriations, park staff is working to clear snow and ice from walkways and other facilities to ensure the safety of visitors. Restrooms and trails are open. The Boston Store Visitor Center will open on Tuesday, January 29 at 9:30 a.m. Please visit www.nps.gov/cuva for updated information about the park.
“I would like to express the National Park Service’s gratitude to the park partners Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Countryside, and Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, as well as local community members, for helping to care for and support Cuyahoga Valley National Park,” Paul Stoehr, acting superintendent said. “In addition, my appreciation goes to the staff who worked while in furlough status. They showed admirable dedication.”
National Guard Helps Akron Deal With Cyber Attack
Written by Jeanne Destro
Eight members of the The Ohio National Guard Cyber defense team are helping the City of Akron deal with the financially motivated atttack on its computer network that started last Tuesday.
The National Guard Cyber team provides defensive operations, forensic support, and analyisis, and was authorized for duty in Akron by Governor Mike Dewine.
In addition to the National Guard team, the City of Akron is also obtaining assistance from the FBI, and Ohio State Patrol.
So far, they have not reported that any data was lost, or that the personal information of Akron residents has been compromised.
Related story: City of Akron Hit by Cyber Attack
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The City of Akron is in the process of mitigating the damage from a malicious cyber intrusion they say was financially motivated.
They first noticed the unusual criminal virus activity on city computer systems on Tuesday, just as they were trying to dig the city out from this winter's worst snow storm so far.
City officials say they called in the F.B.I. Ntaional Guard, and Ohio State Patrol to help. They've also taken some computers offline, and are limiting the use of credit card payments for some city services.
More details from City of Akron press release below:
City of Akron Mitigating Attempted Malicious Cyber Activity
Akron, Ohio, January 25, 2019—The City of Akron is investigating and mitigating criminal virus activity on City servers, which appears to be financially-motivated. On Tuesday, January 22nd, an attempt to access City funds was successfully identified, intercepted and prevented. The City has taken swift and substantial protective action to limit the impact of this activity and protect City assets and information. The City does not have any intelligence at this time that suggests any personal information of our customers, taxpayers, or citizens was harvested. Current intelligence does not indicate any risk to public safety or any motivation to cause harm to the public. Over the coming days, a joint city, state, and federal team will work to eradicate this malicious activity and maintain operational City services.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, January 22nd, the City of Akron Office of Information Technology became aware of suspicious activity on the City’s network. The Akron Police Department was notified and immediate action was taken to investigate the problem and limit proliferation of any malicious software. This swift action required the City Office of Information Technology to temporarily shut down and protect critical software and hardware systems, including the City’s online 3-1-1 system.
By the morning of Wednesday, January 23rd, the City had engaged the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Ohio State Highway Patrol to assist in the investigation and interdiction efforts. Through that work, it was determined that this event merited additional resources, so the City contacted the Chief Information Security Officer for the State of the Ohio for activation of the 172nd Cyber Security Protection Team of the Ohio National Guard. This morning, at Mayor Horrigan’s request, Governor Mike DeWine authorized the deployment of this elite unit to assist in bringing a swift and thorough end to the malicious activity.
Over the coming days, the joint city, state, and federal team will work together to eradicate and mitigate this activity and restore operational services. This process may require additional software and hardware system to be taken offline, which will likely impact certain city operations. The City will communicate with the public in advance if we anticipate any major disruptions to city services or public access to online systems.
While mitigation efforts are evolving rapidly, current impacts include:
- Certain software and hardware systems being unavailable within the Akron Municipal Court, which is requiring the temporary use of traditional recording devices and files;
- Credit card payments being unavailable to the public in certain city departments, including Recreation, Building, and Tax. Credit card payments continue to be available in the Utility Billing Office for payment of water/sewer utility bills.
- Certain internal City computers being relocated for forensic analysis.
In the coming weeks and months, investigators will conduct thorough forensic analysis to determine the full extent of the breach. While current intelligence suggests that no personal information of City customers or tax-paying residents was harvested, investigation and mitigation efforts are ongoing, and any meaningful change in this intelligence will be promptly communicated to the public.
“The Digital Age brings with it constant and ever-changing threats and we must remain vigilant and prepared,” Mayor Horrigan said. “While this incident is ongoing, all current intelligence indicates that we were well-equipped and well-trained to address this malicious attack and that our employees took timely and appropriate action to prevent an attempted theft. Public institutions across the nation often are of particular interest to criminal actors, which is why the city has invested more than $9 million since 2016 in citywide IT infrastructure and maintenance. We will continue to monitor our systems and make necessary investments to protect public assets and citizen information.”
“I want to thank our Office of Information Technology staff, City/County CIO Mark Petit, APD, and members of my staff whose quick and decisive action helped us to limit the impact of this incident,” Mayor Horrigan continued. “Additionally, I want to thank Governor DeWine, the F.B.I., the Ohio National Guard and Ohio State Highway Patrol for the care and expertise they have brought to the situation. Rest assured, we are doing all we can, deploying every resource and partnering with every agency with expertise to protect our critical city infrastructure from criminal activity.”
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Let's see what's at the movies these days!
The Ohio Department of Transportation announced Friday that the recently scheduled repair work on the East Avenue Bridge has been delayed due to weather as temperatures are expected to hit single digits, not factoring in windchill.
Brent Kovacs with ODOT District 4 tells the WAKR Newsroom that all of the scheduled work needs to be started and completed at the same time, so even if there were a window to get a portion of the repairs underway, they couldn't.
Below is the updated schedule and affected traffic patterns for the scheduled work:
This Week in Tech with Jeanne Destro-1-25-19 Featured
Written by Jeanne Destro
This week, a new program to support software development in Akron, Microsoft trying make Seattle a more affordable place to live, big changes in automotive technology, and some exciting new medical tech that could save lives. We’ll also hear about a soundproof dog kennel, and a solar-powered classic rock song that goes on, and on, and on…..
***Please note: This show is now available as a podcast on Apple and Android devices. To find out how, follow these links: Apple, or Android