Cyberattack Disrupts Andover Municipal Network for Four Days
Summary
Andover confirmed a cyberattack caused a four-day network outage, disrupting town services and delaying school teacher assignments. Most systems were restored by Aug. 17; the investigation continues, and data access or compromise is unknown.
Key points
- The town detected the attack on Aug. 13 and confirmed the outage was caused by a cyberattack.
- The disruption affected municipal departments and online services, and delayed Andover Public Schools’ release of teacher assignments.
- The town temporarily took external email offline, activated incident response protocols and brought in independent cybersecurity professionals.
- Most affected systems were restored by Aug. 17, though residents could still have trouble making online bill payments.
- Public safety agencies, utilities, telephone service and town buildings remained operational.
- The investigation is ongoing; officials have not identified the attacker or access method, or determined whether data was accessed, copied or compromised.
Article Details
- Victim Organization
- Town of Andover
- Incident Type
- Cyberattack causing a four-day network outage
- Operational Impact
- Network outage disrupted Town departments and some municipal services, temporarily took external email offline, and delayed Andover Public Schools' release of teacher assignments. Town buildings, telephone service, public safety agencies, utilities, and other infrastructure continued operating. Most affected systems were restored by August 17, though online bill payments could still be affected.
- Ransom Or Extortion
- Unknown; the Town did not disclose whether ransomware was involved.
- Claim Status
- confirmed