City network remains offline

COEUR d'ALENE — For the second straight day, the city of Coeur d'Alene computer network remained offline after malware was detected in its system Sunday.

The city's website and phones were down and records were not accessible again Tuesday.

The city did not respond to Press questions about whether citizen information in its network may have been compromised.

The city has been working with national cybersecurity and data forensics consultants to resolve the situation, according to a press release.

"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.

According to TechTarget, malware "is any program or file that is intentionally harmful to a computer, network or server. Types of malware include computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, ransomware and spyware. These malicious programs steal, encrypt and delete sensitive data; alter or hijack core computing functions and monitor end-users' computer activity."

On Sunday afternoon, the Coeur d’Alene Police Department posted on its Facebook page it was experiencing technical issues, including the phone system. 

"Emergency and nonemergency calls are still being handled by Kootenai County dispatch with usual response," according to the post.

Last week, the city's website was down for a day and the IT department sent out a notice to staff and elected officials alerting them to change their city account password "due to a potential security issue."

The city did not provide an update of the situation Tuesday but said it may have one today.

"We will keep our community informed as we have further updates and express our ongoing gratitude for your patience and support," the release said.

City Hall remains open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.