By Allison Peck
The City of North Platte says its computer systems and those of Lincoln County are secure following a cyber incident involving a stolen username and password.
According to a city news release, one City username and password were stolen and misused. City officials say the incident was discovered early, allowing the city’s information technology team to respond quickly with assistance from state and federal cybersecurity partners.
No data was lost, and officials say no information was taken from City or County systems.
The City contacted the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, known as MS-ISAC, and the State of Nebraska’s chief information security officer after discovering the incident. Gov. Jim Pillen also sent the Nebraska National Guard Cyber Protection Team to assist.
The team spent two days working alongside City IT staff to review the systems and confirm they were secure, according to the release.
At no point did the City have contact with the person or group responsible for the incident.
Mayor Brandon Kelliher said the response was successful because staff and outside partners acted quickly.
“I want residents to know that their information is safe,” Kelliher said. “Our team caught this early, acted fast, and called in the right help. We’re grateful for the partners who stepped up to make sure everything was checked from top to bottom.”