Tulsa computer system hacks stopped by security shutdown

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A city official says that most residents of Tulsa are being prevented from paying their water bills after the city shut down its computer network, following an attempted ransomware attack.

City spokesman Carson Colvin said on Friday that the attempted breach was stopped before any personal data was accessed. Colvin said Tulsa detected malware in its network on May 6th and immediately started shutting it down to prevent hackers from accessing anything sensitive.

The primary effect of the shutdown is that the city cannot process credit or debit cards with computers inoperable, so most resident’s can’t pay their water bills. Colvin said that residents will have five days after online payments are again possible to pay their bills without penalty.