GREEN RIVER — Signs of how badly a ransomware attack crippled the City of Green River’s computer systems were on full display during the Green River City Council’s Tuesday night meeting.
Television screens were turned off. The regular livestream to YouTube did not happen. The sound system inside the Council’s chamber was not activated, making it sometimes difficult to hear what was being said. Earl McDonald, a veteran on hand for the reading of a proclamation recognizing Green River a Purple Heart City, told Mayor Pete Rust he thought his microphone wasn’t on as Rust spoke at the start of the meeting.
“There are no mics tonight,” Green River Finance Director Chris Meats said to McDonald.
Meats later confirmed the system was impacted by the ransomware attack.
The city is entering the second week of dealing with the attack. Meats told SweetwaterNOW Tuesday afternoon he’s unable to speak further than what he said about the incident last week. Meats also said the city will issue a statement when it can.
While the full extent of the attack’s impact on city systems hasn’t been disclosed, several issues related to payment processing have been raised. Residents messaging SweetwaterNOW said they’re not able to pay their water bills online.
One Council representative expressed gratitude to the city’s information technology workers for their work.
“I just wanted to thank the IT department for the extra time they’ve been putting in over the last week,” Councilman Robert Berg said Tuesday night.
