Tulsa City Officials: ‘Ransomware attack’ causing technical difficulties

TULSA, Okla. — The Communications Director for the City of Tulsa, Michelle Brooks, says the city is experiencing technical difficulties due to a ransomware attack.

Brooks says due to the attack, people will not be able to access city websites, and there will be delays to network services.

The city says no customer information has been compromised, and there are redundancies in place to ensure no operations are interrupted.

The city’s information technology and security teams are working to fix the problem.

According to the Tulsa Police Department (TPD), 911 is operational and Tulsa’s public safety response is continuing as normal.

As for utility billing, Tulsa police say new account registration is currently unavailable. Tulsans can make a payment on their account and view their bill as a guest as long as they have their new account number and customer ID, plus the name on their account exactly as it appears on their bill.

TPD also says Tulsa Animal Welfare is closed to the public and is operating by appointment only. Those interested in adopting or surrendering a pet can set up an appointment by calling (918) 596-8001. Field services will continue but will be limited to emergency calls.

Tulsa Municipal Courts will be open and all Monday dockets will continue as scheduled, according to TPD. They say courthouse visitors who wish to make a payment should bring their citation when possible. Late fees for payments due from May 10 to May 14 will not be assessed and warrants for failure to pay will not be issued during this period.

Tulsa Municipal Courts and City Hall services cannot accept debit or credit card payments at this time, but will accept cash, checks, and money orders.

The City’s Customer Care Center (311) will be able to take calls, but services will be limited. They’re asking callers to be patient, as they expect to experience higher than normal call volume.

Listen to the full interview with Tulsa Mayor GT Bynum and the KRMG Morning News with Dan Potter about the attack here.

Cox Media Group