Florida’s Cities hit by cyber attacker: Emails, telephone lines and online payment services affected

MIAMI: Authorities in Pensacola, Florida said Monday the city had been hit by a cyberattack, just days after a Saudi officer killed three American sailors at the city´s naval base.

Emails, telephone lines and online payment services were affected by the attack, the northwestern municipality announced on Facebook.

Officials did not say whether there was a link between the cyber and naval base attacks.

“We are trying to figure out who this was and… where do we go from here in putting our system back together,” mayor Grover Robinson said at a press conference.

City officials also notified the FBI, whose Jacksonville office tweeted it was “providing resources to assist” but that no further information was available at the time.

The cyberattack comes as Pensacola is still reeling from the naval base shooting.

On Friday, Mohammed Alshamrani, a second lieutenant in the Saudi Royal Air Force, opened fire in a classroom at the Pensacola naval base, killing three sailors and wounding eight others before being shot dead by police.

The 21-year-old had been on the base for a Saudi military training program.

The FBI said Sunday they were investigating with the “presumption” it was an act of terrorism but had yet to make a final determination. AFP

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