City of Winston-Salem cyberattack under investigation, some online services are still down

The city of Winston-Salem’s investigation into its Dec. 26 cyberattack remains ongoing, according to City Manager Patrick Pate. 

The incident shut down its online utility bill pay system and CityLink phone service. 

At a press briefing, Pate said Winston-Salem is working with multiple state and federal agencies to restore and improve its network security and cybersecurity protocols.  

He did not comment on the nature of the attack or who was behind it. Pate only confirmed the city detected unauthorized access to some of its online systems before deciding to shut down any service through which its networks could be reached. 

"All of our major systems actually are operational and have been rebuilt and our IS staff is working on our end-user interfaces with those," Pate said. "We are still working to make sure that all of our systems are completely safe before we turn everything back on to the public."

Pate says the cyberattack has not interrupted police or firefighting operations. He added the investigation has not yielded any evidence of personal information or identity theft. 

Though the online utility billing system remains down, Pate said there will be no late fee collections or interruptions to services.

He did not give a timeline for when these systems would be operational.

Santiago Ochoa covers healthcare for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. Follow him on X and Instagram: @santi8a98