Saint John network will continue to be offline until 2021 after cyberattack

The holiday break means Saint John's network, including online payments, won't be back until at least January of next year after a ransomware attack caused the city to shut down its systems.

City manager John Collin toldcouncil Monday night the city is continuing its efforts to return all IT servicesbut won't reconnect networks to the public until "it's safe to do so."

He said the city can afford to take its time, since all services except"some online payments" continue to be delivered.

"There are some that are using manual methods to deliver services such as building permits, but all services are being delivered," he said. "We should not be and we are not in a hurry to rejoin, and we'll take the time that is necessary."

A ransomware attack on Nov. 13 forced the city to take its network offline.

Because of the attack the city'swebsite is still down. Some departmental phone lines and email to most city hall employees were also affected. Residents can't pay tickets online, nor pay for parking electronically unless they use the third-partyHotSpot app. Cash payments are still available, including at parking meters.

Residents can also pay their Saint JohnWater bills at theirbank, through pre-authorized payments, or in-person by cheque or cash at the customer service centre on the first floor of City Hall.

Collin said a "well-deserved rest" is needed for people working on getting the network back up, which means residents won't see a changeuntil "later on in January."

Collin said earlier that the city has not confirmed any personal data leaks, but it hasn't made a final determination on that. Residents are advised to watch for any irregular activity on their bank accounts and credit card statements in the meantime.

He also said because of the nature of the attack the city can't share any details about what happened. The city still has not said how the attack happened, which systems were targeted, what information was possibly compromised or what exactly it's doing to respond.