Three weeks after City Hall computer systems were crippled by a cyberattack, New Orleans officials on Thursday offered their first timeline for restoring the systems, saying the city's Police Department and courts should have their access to computer networks restored by Monday.
Most of the city's computers have been screened and cleared for use by employees, officials said during a press conference to provide an update on progress. The city's online systems for paying bills and transacting other city business should be available before property tax deadlines at the end of January.
"We have made significant progress," Chief Information Officer Kim Walker LaGrue said, adding that her office as well as 75 state and federal partners have been working continuously since the attack to restore the city's networks.
Kim Walker LaGrue, chief information officer for New Orleans, stands in front of City Hall on Thursday, January 2, 2020 as she gives an update to the media about the recent cyber attack on the city's digital infrastructure.
The update signaled that after weeks of city workers using pens and paper to complete routine government functions, tech officials who have worked to rid the system of the potentially debilitating ransomware are getting closer to fully restoring the systems that allow the city to operate.
The attack is the latest in a string of assaults on the technology infrastructures of municipalities in Louisiana and across the country.
It has also come with a hefty price tag. Officials said they have spent $1.5 million so far on the recovery, and that bill is expected to rise. LaGrue said as many as one in five city computers are so compromised that they'll need to be replaced.
New Orleans has a $3 million cybersecurity insurance policy, though officials have not detailed what that policy covers or who provides it. They have said they will spend $500,000 more on cybersecurity this year, and that they plan to increase their insurance coverage as well.
Last month, Mayor LaToya Cantrell told WWL-TV that she expected the total cost would exceed the current insurance, and that in restoring the networks to working order, officials would also be upgrading them in an attempt to make them more resilient in the future.
LaGrue did not speculate Thursday on who might have been behind the attack, noting instead that the city is cooperating with the FBI on an investigation.
The attack began Dec. 13 after an employee apparently responded to an email seeking credentials to access the city's system, which was then used to try to inject the malicious ransomware into the city's networks.
No requests for ransom were received, though officials did detect the software trying to work its way through the city's servers.
Officials have had to screen more than 3,400 computers for signs of the malware, a laborious task that has taken weeks. As of Thursday, that job was 78% complete.
In the interim, employees across dozens of departments have had to write reports by hand and use private email accounts.
A city-run program that provides health care to homeless residents has had to delay certain exams, as staff cannot view electronic medical records.
And the city's Municipal and Traffic Court has urged residents due in court to stay home until further notice. But by Monday, the city expects to restore its electronic public safety tools, "including our court system," LaGrue said.
By Monday, the New Orleans Police Department will also once again be able to make electronic police reports. A department spokesperson said Thursday that officers have been able to check for outstanding arrest warrants and file new ones since the cyberattack occurred, but that officers have had to write reports by hand.
New Orleans also expects to restore its online networks before the Jan. 31 deadline to pay property taxes, LaGrue said. The city has been encouraging residents to mail in their payments or submit them in person.
That payment system is used mostly by residents who are not paying on a mortgage; mortgage companies use a different process to pay residents' taxes, and that system wasn't impacted.
The New Orleans City Council has held one, truncated meeting since computer systems went offline. It wasn't clear Thursday how much of its business has been impacted by the attack and whether its next meeting will also be cut short.
Gloss