Some Boston Public Library online systems, as well as public-access computers, are offline for the third straight day today due to what officials are calling a "cybersecurity attack" and efforts to plug whatever holes let the attack to happen.
In a statement, BPL says:
On Wednesday morning, 8/25, the Boston Public Library experienced a systemwide technical outage due to a cybersecurity attack, pausing public computer and public printing services, as well as some online resources. Affected systems were taken offline immediately, and proactive steps were taken to isolate the problem and shutdown network communication. There is currently no evidence that sensitive employee or patron data has been disclosed.
The library is working with the Mayor’s Department of Innovation and Technology and law enforcement officials to address the cybersecurity attack. The Library’s IT department is working on restoring all technology services, and in the meantime, all locations will remain open, patrons will still be able to check out books, and some online services remain operational. This is an ongoing situation and the library will update patrons and staff about services and impacts on its website.
Officials say part of their work now is to figure out how to keep this from happening again.
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Comments
now we will finally know how
By l337 h4ck3r (not verified)
Fri, 08/27/2021 - 10:19am
now we will finally know how much the mayoral candidates owe in late fees!!!!!!!
Didn't they forgive all late
By Notfromboston
Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:03am
Didn't they forgive all late fees?
Yes, they did
By adamg
Fri, 08/27/2021 - 11:19am
Way back in April.
My wife checked out something...
By Michael Kerpan
Fri, 08/27/2021 - 12:14pm
The branch library needed to check with the Brookline library to find out the Dewey Decimal number (or whatever is used these days) so it could be found on the shelf -- and then they had to write down the book's info and my wife's library card number (etc.) on a piece of paper so that they could eventually enter the relevant info into the system when it was finally back online.
Dewey was a racist we can't
By Refugee
Fri, 08/27/2021 - 12:38pm
Dewey was a racist we can't call it Dewey Decimal anymore.
Not surprising
By BostonDog
Fri, 08/27/2021 - 1:20pm
There's always a fraction opposed to the decimal system.
I wonder why you’re so sensitive…
By tblade
Fri, 08/27/2021 - 2:26pm
…about people being called out for racism? Crazy how no one here mentioned Dewey and his racism (or sexual assault accusations, or his anti-semitism), yet you swoopped in to make it about racism; for some reason, I don’t think it’s because you are a huge fan of Melvil Dewey’s work in library management.
Changing gears, if anyone is wondering, the BPL does not use Dewey, it uses LCC or Library of Congress Classification.
Was the MBLN online catalog
By anon (not verified)
Fri, 08/27/2021 - 9:52pm
Was the MBLN online catalog still up? If so, why couldn't they look up the book using a cell phone?
Who
By Sock_Puppet
Sun, 08/29/2021 - 11:57pm
hacks a library?
Extortionists
By lbb
Mon, 08/30/2021 - 10:50am
There are hackers who try to get useful data, but it seems like a lot of the big cases are about holding systems and data hostage for payment. They go after a business or organization, shut it down, force it to pay. That's the MO.
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