City shuts down network amid security concerns

COEUR d'ALENE — The city of Coeur d'Alene shut down its computer network after malware was detected in its system Sunday.

The city's website was offline, records were not accessible and phones were down Monday.

A press release said the city was working with nationally recognized third-party cybersecurity and data forensics consultants to help it.

"The city is following industry best practices and developing a strategic plan to address the issue. In an abundance of caution, we have taken affected systems offline while we work to secure and restore services safely," the release said.

It said 911 and emergency resources continue to operate.

Last week, the city's website was down and the IT department sent out a notice to staff and elected officials.

"Due to a potential security issue, IT will be locking all users who have not changed their password today before 5:30 p.m. Please change your city account password as soon as possible," the note said.

Monday's release said citizens should expect delays from the city.

"We are actively monitoring the situation and will send updated information as it becomes available," the release said. "We are grateful to have some of the industry’s top experts and our internal IT team helping guide our response."