An alleged ransomware attack on the City of Dallas has resulted in a network outage throughout its government systems, which is currently preventing all zoning and permitting activity.
The targeted cyberattack was carried out Wednesday by the ransomware group Royal, the same cybercriminal organization behind the attack on the Dallas Central Appraisal District in December 2022, which shut down its email, website, and servers for about a month.
Under the supervision of City Manager T.C. Broadnax, Royal ransomware has successfully carried out two cyberattacks against Dallas in just six months. This has raised questions about Broadnax’s ability to keep the City safe from future cyberattacks and protect the City’s servers and infrastructure.
“Since City of Dallas’ Information and Technology Services detected a cyber threat Wednesday morning, employees have been hard at work to contain the issue and ensure continued service to our residents,” said Broadnax in a statement.
“For those departments affected, emergency plans prepared and practiced in advance are paying off. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank residents for their understanding as we continue to work around the clock until this issue is addressed. For updates, please keep an eye on dallascitynews.net,” Broadnax said.
Broadnax could not be reached for further comment.
One of the government systems potentially compromised by Wednesday’s alleged ransomware attack and currently experiencing a network outage is Dallas’ Development Services Department (DSD).
“The Development Services Department is currently experiencing network issues that are preventing application submittal, plan review, permit issuance, and payment acceptance,” DSD said in an email statement Thursday afternoon.
“We realize this service delay may impact our customers, and we apologize for the inconvenience. We thank you for your patience and understanding as the City of Dallas diligently works to rectify the situation and restore service as quickly as possible,” DSD continued in the email message.
It is currently unclear how long the network outage will delay DSD’s ability to receive, review, and issue construction permits. However, given Royal’s previous ransomware attack against Dallas, network issues could persist for some time before being fully resolved and secured.
If zoning and permitting delays persist for an equal or longer amount of time as the December cyberattack, DSD could find itself sorting through another permit backlog.
A cybersecurity update will be presented to Dallas’ Public Safety Committee by William Zielinski, the chief information officer for the City of Dallas, on Monday, May 8, according to a statement from the City.
“ITS and its vendors continue to work around the clock to contain the outage and restore service, prioritizing public safety and public-facing departments,” the City of Dallas said.