BERKELEY, Mo. – Berkeley City Hall and police headquarters were closed Tuesday after a cyber-attack froze their computer systems. Residents want to know why they weren’t notified that the city’s systems went down and when they’ll be back up.
“They should let us know. My identity is in jeopardy now,” said one person who asked to remain anonymous. “Somebody should’ve said something.”
Signs posted at Berkeley City Hall are similar ones could be seen at the Berkeley Police Department.
The Berkeley resident wished to remain anonymous because she doesn’t know who may be tracking her identity. On Tuesday, she noticed a red flag.
“I logged on to return something and it kept telling me that wasn’t my password. Did it three or four times and I changed my password,” they said
Authorities are trying to get to the root of a computer hack that has completely frozen their computer systems.
“I don’t know what Berkeley has done to try and secure their internet bases and things like that,” said Mark Birdsong, Birdsong Company. “We see a lot of loose ends that happen around town. I guess that’s just another part of it.”
The problem is officials aren’t talking just yet.
At present, the police department is facing multiple computer-related issues. They can’t issue police reports or crash reports and officers cannot process payments or bonds.
Like many, Birdsong uses the internet daily for work. He hopes the Berkeley hack is resolved quickly, adding he would’ve liked to hear it from officials and not the news.
“It’s always best to give people the best information that you have and, at that point, you can’t be blamed for anything,” he said. “I mean, you’ve given the best you can.”
Berkeley Police Chief Art Jackson said they cannot talk until Wednesday because of a collaborative effort on the investigation. He said they’ll release a statement then.
