City of Fort St. John reports ransomware attack
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Officials from the City of Fort St. John, British Columbia, are reporting that the "cyber incident" affecting municipal services since February 25, 2025, was a ransomware attack. The city has stated that no ransom payment was made to the unauthorized third party responsible for the breach.
The ransomware attack initially crippled city services, including:
- Phone systems
- Email services
- Much of the city's internal network
As of March 13, 2025, the city reports that over 95% of front-facing services have been restored. Some services will require additional time to bring back online for security reasons, including the "My City Hall" platform used by residents for online bill payments.
According to Ryan Harvey, Communications Manager for Fort St. John, less than 1% of the city's data was stolen in the attack and the compromised files were primarily working documents from select city departments. Apparently HR and financial systems were not included in the breached data. City officials do not believe any personal information was included in the stolen data
The city is currently working with its legal team and relevant authorities to review the impacted files for any sensitive personal information. If necessary, the city will follow protocol and notify any individuals who may have been affected.
