Cyber Incident Website Launched, Anne Arundel County Adapts Amid Security Threat

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Anne Arundel County launched a webpage to assist residents amid an ongoing but improving cyber incident that has disrupted some services for weeks.

The issue emerged on Feb. 22, temporarily closing some county buildings and forcing some employees to work remotely.

County Executive Steuart Pittman thanked the public for its "patience and understanding as Anne Arundel County continues working to recover from the cyber incident affecting County government IT services."

Pittman's team has declined to answer questions on whether this was a cyber attack that held the county's systems captive for ransom. The county executive promised transparent answers when the situation is fully resolved.

"We have made progress internally with securing our systems and I want to thank our Office of Information Technology and our county staff for the hard work they have done to restore and maintain services. Most County services remain available, though some continue to operate under temporary manual processes," Pittman said in a Thursday press release.

Residents can visit aacounty.org/CyberIncident for updates, department operational statuses and a list of alternative payment methods for county-specific bills and fees. The county is making accommodations for late payments stemming from system disruptions.

"Once again, we will provide more information on what occurred, which operations were affected, and the steps we are taking to strengthen our cybersecurity once it is appropriate. In the meantime, our priority is restoring services in an orderly and secure manner," Pittman said.

Related:

• 'Cyber Incident' Answers Promised After Issue Resolved In Anne Arundel
• County Offices Reopening After 'Cyber Incident' In Anne Arundel