The County of Lambton is working to resolve its information technology [IT] systems after falling victim to a recent cyber attack.
Corporate Services General Manager Stephane Thiffeault said they became aware of an incident on May 28.
"As a precautionary measure, the County's IT team immediately took a number of systems offline and began an investigation," said Thiffeault. "It was determined the issue was the result of a cybersecurity incident. The County retained leading experts to assist our IT team with bringing systems back online in a secure manner, and to assist with the overall investigation."
He said main priority areas like email and directories were restored by June 1, but other applications are a working progress.
"There were factors both internal and external that define how much information we can release to the public and we wanted to release information to the public that was based on a fulsome investigation."
At this time, Thiffeault said the county has no reason to believe that any information, including personal information, was impacted.
"A number of software applications continue to be affected. The IT team and experts are working around the clock to ensure a prompt and secure restoration of all systems. Service interruptions have been posted to our websites, and further updates will continue to be posted to those websites as they become available."
Thiffeault said the relevant authorities have been advised of the incident.
"Many applications were not impacted, including those utilized by Lambton Public Health and our long-term care homes, as they are hosted on networks that were not impacted by this incident," said Thiffeault. "Most notably, Lambton Public Health's COVID-19 vaccination booking system was not affected and remains available, at www.getthevaccine.ca, for residents to continue to securely book their vaccine appointments when eligible to do so."
The county is apologizing for any inconveniences.
Residents experiencing difficulties reaching their contact at the county, are asked to dial the general reception line at 519-845-0801.
-with files from Natalia Vega