Some personal information, including birth dates and Social Security numbers, may have been accessed amid a “data security incident“ that hit the city of Forest Park last year, officials said.
The Clayton County city, which has a population of about 20,000, posted a notification about the data concerns on its website Tuesday.
Forest Park spokesperson Javon Anthony Lloyd declined to say how many people were affected or whether they are employees, residents or both. The city, in a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, said the undisclosed number includes people with “various types of contact or relationships with the city.” Officials have notified those who may be affected via mail.
The warning follows what the city described as “a network disruption that affected a limited number of systems” that occurred around July 24. At the time, officials said “a malicious actor” gained access to its network but did not specify what kind of disruption took place or exactly how it happened.
After discovering the problem, the city said its network was secured, and officials contacted law enforcement as well as a digital forensics firm to investigate.
By March 10, officials determined that a “limited amount of personal information kept in the normal course of business may have been accessed by an unauthorized third party.” The city added that there is “no indication whatsoever that any information has been misused at this time.”
The type of information involved includes first and last names along with “one or more of the following: Social Security number, driver’s license information, date of birth, passport number and state ID number,” officials said in the press release.
“In response to this incident, city of Forest Park has implemented additional security measures within its network and facilities and is reviewing its current policies and procedures related to data security,” the statement read. “The privacy and protection of information is a top priority for Forest Park, and Forest Park deeply regrets any inconvenience or concern this event may cause.”
The incident is just the latest involving data security concerns with which local governments and public agencies have had to grapple.
In early 2024, a cyberattack shut down Fulton County computer systems and phone lines. And in 2023, the University System of Georgia notified an undisclosed number of employees and students that their personal data was compromised during a cyberattack that impacted businesses and agencies worldwide.
The Forest Park incident happened just days after a CrowdStrike cyber outage caused worldwide problems because of a faulty software update. The company had released the apparently broken update to Microsoft users on July 19.
Forest Park said it will provide complimentary credit monitoring services to those impacted by its incident. The city also set up a hotline to answer questions. Those with concerns may call 1-800-939-4170 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday.
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