Quispamsis On Alert After Saint John Cyberattack

Municipalities in Greater Saint John are being extra vigilant following a significant cyberattack against the city.

Quispamsis Mayor Gary Clark says the town was first made aware of the cyber incident on Sunday evening.

“We have done thorough scans of our system and there is nothing out of the ordinary,” Clark told reporters after Tuesday’s council meeting.

The town’s IT department continues to monitor systems on a regular basis, he said.

CAO Susan Deuville has also instructed staff to be especially diligent in checking incoming email and to report anything suspicious.

“We have to be aware of that at all times,” said Clark. “There’s people out there that try and get into these systems so our staff do their due diligence.”

During a news conference Tuesday, the city announced the cyberattack was determined to be a ransomware virus.

City manager John Collin said they have not yet decided whether to pay the ransom, the amount of which was not disclosed.

“All options to restore our networks are still on the table,” said Collin. “There are far too many aspects to consider and criteria to look at before we would make any determination on consideration of ransom.”

Clark said there has been ongoing communication between Saint John and surrounding municipalities since news of the attack first broke.

“Our CAO has been in contact with the [city manager] of Saint John and all of the other CAOs around the area, sharing information and trying to help each other through this time,” he said.