Experts probe cyberattack on Town of Huntsville
Three days after it was the target of a cyberattack, the Town of Huntsville has begun restoring some of its services.
Huntsville's Town Hall reopened on Wednesday in a limited capacity after a cyberattack rocked the municipality on Sunday. Staff were forced to close the doors to municipal buildings on Monday and Tuesday amid the disruption to the Town's internal network.
"We are doing everything we can for what our protocol tells us what to do in this kind of incident," said Huntsville Mayor Nancy Alcock. "On Tuesday, we began bringing some of those servers, [and] I.T. programs back online."
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
A team of experts has been called in to investigate how the online attack happened and the extent of it.
So far, no evidence suggests any sensitive data, including personal information, had been compromised.
"Part of that ongoing investigation is to determine and confirm what kind of data has been compromised," the mayor added.
Huntsville is the latest municipality to suffer a cyber attack in recent weeks.
Last week, the City of Hamilton said it was working with experts to restore its systems after a cyberattack on February 25.
In Toronto, the Public Library and the City's Zoo are still trying to recover from attacks in October and January that exposed sensitive employee information.
"We've seen attacks against communications systems, the energy sector, logistics, you name it. They are being attacked right now across the private and public sector, and the pace is increasing," said Charles Finlay, executive director of Toronto Metropolitan University's Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst.
Finlay said the frequency of attacks against municipalities has increased over the last several years.
He urged all municipalities to establish a plan to respond to a cyber crisis and said it's not a matter of if but when an attack will happen.
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario has also asked members to expand their emergency preparedness planning to include cybersecurity protocols.
Meanwhile, Huntsville officials said more time is needed to determine how long a full recovery will take.
March break camps and scheduled programming will continue this week at the Canada Summit Centre, the Algonquin Theatre and the library.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6972157.1721587842!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Joe Biden drops out of 2024 race, endorses Kamala Harris to be Democratic nominee
U.S. President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, ending his bid for re-election after doubts were raised about his fitness for office. Soon after, he endorsed Vice-President Kamala Harris to take his place in the November election.
Justin Trudeau reacts to Joe Biden announcing he won't run for re-election
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded to the news that U.S. President Joe Biden won’t run for re-election Sunday, calling Biden a 'true friend.'
Joe Biden wants to pass the baton to Kamala Harris. Here's how that might work
With U.S. President Joe Biden ending his re-election bid and endorsing Vice-President Kamala Harris, Democrats now must navigate a shift that is unprecedented this late in an election year.
The pilot who died in crash after releasing skydivers near Niagara Falls has been identified
NEW YORK (AP) — Officials on Sunday released the name of a pilot who died in a skydiving flight after her passengers jumped from the aircraft near the Niagara Falls.
Woman found dead in the water near Sunset Beach: Vancouver police
Investigators were at Vancouver’s Sunset Beach after a woman’s body was found in the water Sunday morning, according to authorities.
Ottawa man waiting nearly a year for car to be fixed at Acura dealership
An Ottawa man says he’s been waiting nearly a year for his car to be repaired after it was damaged during a storm in August.
Canadian musicians struggle to get visas to perform in the U.S., some cancel shows
Backlogs and processing delays of temporary U.S. visas required by entertainers, athletes and artists has forced some Canadian bands to cancel U.S. tour dates because paperwork wasn't processed in time.
Joy in Newfoundland after 'Lucky 7' fishers survive harrowing days lost at sea
There was a powerful word being repeated in the joyful Newfoundland community of New-Wes-Valley on Sunday: 'Miracle.'
A Florida woman was killed 24 years ago. DNA evidence just helped police make an arrest in the cold case
A Florida woman’s brutal killing nearly 25 years ago may finally be solved after authorities arrested the suspect this week, according to the Sanford Police Department.