Updated: Macon services down after ‘security breach.’ Issues still affecting website, communications
The Macon-Bibb County online network faced a “security breach” that was still causing issues Tuesday afternoon, according to Chris Floore, the county’s chief communications officer.
When county officials noticed “unusual activity on its servers” Saturday morning, they took the network offline out of caution, Floore said in a statement Tuesday. Officials were investigating the issue and adding additional security measures.
Landline phones were restored Tuesday afternoon, but the county’s emails, internet and network remained offline, Floore said.
“Our team members are doing what they can to meet our community’s needs, but there are some things that are not possible until we restore the internet and network,” County Manager Keith Moffett said in a news release.
Some services on the Macon-Bibb website were still inoperable Tuesday afternoon, including online payments in the court system; park reservations with the Parks and Beautification Department; vehicle tag and title registration; and property tax and garage bill payments with the Tax Commissioner’s Office.
“We are not unique in this attack, so we have a roadmap that is helping guide our work and help ensure we are protecting our system,” Moffett said
The county website appeared to be functional as of about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. Load times were long earlier that day and an error page appeared instead of the government site.
“We have been in contact with federal security officials since Saturday for guidance and assistance,” Floore said.
To submit money orders to the courts, officials recommend to call ahead to find out the total and have a money order prepared for the exact amount. If someone has tried to file a service request via SeeClickFix since Friday, they should call the department directly or customer service at (478) 651-7400, Macon said in a news release.
“We’re asking for people’s patience as they visit offices and try to access services,” Moffett said.
