NEW ORLEANS – The city’s computer systems were under threat from malicious software on Friday afternoon according to communications from City Hall and press reports.
In an internal text message, the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness said “the City of New Orleans is under a cyber attack. Please power off your computers and unplug them immediately. Await further instructions,”
The city’s website, NOLA.gov, was unresponsive as of 1 p.m. Friday.
The New Orleans Police Department has taken measures to stop the spread any malicious software while keeping its 911 system in place.
This latest attack comes a few weeks after an apparently unsuccessful ransomware attack hit Louisiana state government computers last month and damaged 10 % of the the state’s computer servers.