Nearly a month after a cyberattack took its digital payment processing system offline, the city of Long Beach announced this week that residents can once again pay their utility bills online.
The city first identified the security incident on November 14, and immediately took the majority of its official website connections, networks, and systems offline to eliminate the source of the breach.
The City Council approved an emergency declaration related to the incident on Nov. 17, giving the city administration additional powers to quickly respond to the incident.
A simplified version of the city’s website, which includes basic information such as the city’s phone number and the latest information on cyberattacks, was brought back online on November 16th.
The main site, longbeach.gov, and most agency websites were also brought back online on Monday, November 27th. However, utility payments took time to recover, and payments were suspended while the site was closed.
Online bill processing for water, natural gas, sewer and trash is now fully restored and residents can now pay using the following methods: longbeach.gov/utilitybilling.
You can also pay by mail, by phone, or in person at City Hall from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. Residents can also deposit checks or money orders in the drop box located in the southeast corner of City Hall.
Residents may also pay with cash at any 7-Eleven or CVS.
“I am pleased to share that our utility billing and payment processing systems are fully restored,” Mayor Rex Richardson said in the city’s announcement on Tuesday, Dec. 5. “We would like to thank our Technology and Innovation and Utilities departments for their agile response, and thank our valued utility customers for their patience and understanding.”
The city said residents who signed up for AutoPay before the cyber incident and would have received a regular deduction when the system was offline should have received a deduction on their bill on Friday, Dec. 1. .
“Autopay is now fully restored and has resumed its normal schedule,” the announcement said. “If you are on a previously approved payment plan, please continue making payments as agreed.”
The city said the system was offline for the second half of the month, so some residents may experience delays in getting their November bill. Delays can range from 1-2 days to 2 weeks.
Late charges will be rolled over to residents’ December bills, which are expected to be issued at the end of this month.
“Customers should pay as much of this bill as possible, and we recommend paying at least half. The remaining balance can be paid on your January bill,” the city said. “Utility customers will not be charged late fees or have their utility services cut off due to this billing delay.”
Christopher Garner, general manager of the city’s Department of Public Works, said during Tuesday’s City Council meeting that customers do not have to worry about late fees or business closures.
“Customers who have not received a bill should receive one within a few days,” Garner said. “You don’t have to worry about late fees. We have stopped late fees and we have also stopped utility service outages.”
Long Beach is one of 80 local governments to experience a cyberattack by 2023, the city said, noting it has made multiple investments in the past few years to strengthen its cybersecurity.
In fact, the city has spent $32 million in cybersecurity upgrades over the past five years, including hardening infrastructure and equipment to reduce the risk of cyber incidents, detect, monitor, and prevent cyber threats. system upgrades, officials previously announced.
The City Council also made an additional $1.7 million in cybersecurity investments in the fiscal year 2024 budget approved in September, along with a $795,000 federal grant to strengthen cybersecurity monitoring and detection. Assigned.
Meanwhile, the city is working to restore remaining systems for public and online services, including computer and printing services and digital amenities provided by the Long Beach Public Library.
“The recovery process will take time, but we remain steadfast and dedicated to restoring all normal operations and ensuring the safety and security of our network systems and communities,” Richardson told the council. Ta.
The mayor added that the state of emergency related to the cyber incident will be lifted on December 19th.