Cybercriminals attempted to extort money from the town by attacking the police department’s system, said Police Chief Wendell Major.
But do not expect the town to pay any ransom
Instead, city IT contractors were able to take down the server, make repairs and restore service, Major said.
“Our IT protocols were enacted. You’ve got to be prepared for this,” Major told AL.com. “We just operate like we normally do.”
Major said the only noticeable difference today is that the department is using paper to file police reports. Other essential computer services such as record searches remain operational, he said.
Major departments, such as the police department, operate on different servers, which prevented citywide damage, Major said.
Major said the city will continue to investigate the issue.
“We don’t know yet how it happened. We just shut it down,” he said. “We’re restarting everything.”
Major’s assessment differs from a more dire post on the city’s social media account this morning.
“Due to a ransomware attack, all systems in the City have been shut down,” the post reads.
Efforts to reach Mayor Wayman Newton were not immediately successful.
Tarrant appears to have avoided a crisis that the city of Birmingham experienced in March 2024 when a computer hack wreaked havoc on operations and raised concerns about pay, security and personal information.
Birmingham’s attack caused problems for law enforcement, by limiting their ability to check for stolen vehicles or outstanding warrants.
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