The municipality of Brighton continues to deal with a cybersecurity incident involving its email systems.
A news release from the municipality states officials discovered the incident on July 10 and immediately activated cybersecurity incident response procedures.
Officials are working with Northumberland County IT Services, who provide IT services for the municipality, and have also engaged a leading cybersecurity firm, to investigate the scope of the incident and protect municipal systems and information.
The investigation determined that an unauthorized party gained access to the municipal email system and used it to send unauthorized emails.
There is currently no indication that any other sensitive municipal or personal data has been accessed or affected, and there are currently no disruptions to services.
The investigation remains ongoing; any affected individuals and partners will be contacted directly.
As a precaution, the public is asked to use caution if receiving unexpected emails from the municipality, especially any including links or attachments.
Any such email should be deleted.
Residents and businesses are encouraged to always follow these email safety practices to help protect themselves from phishing and other fraudulent emails:
- Do not click unexpected links, open attachments or scan QR codes.
- Check the sender’s full email address, not just the displayed name.
- Be cautious of messages creating urgency, requesting immediate action or using threatening language.
- Do not provide passwords, banking details or other personal information by email.
- Verify unusual requests through a separate, trusted channel, such as calling the organization using a publicly listed telephone number.
- Rather than following an email link, visit the organization’s website by entering its known address directly into your browser.
- Delete suspicious messages.
- If you click a link or provide information, change passwords promptly.
The municipality is taking all necessary steps to ensure the continued protection of all information and services, and will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.
