Bay‑Area city hit hard
Foster City declared a state of emergency after a ransomware attack that paralyzed nearly all municipal services and forced officials to pause digital operations—recovery and containment are underway. This is a reminder that even well‑resourced cities can be brought to a halt quickly, exposing gaps in incident playbooks and cross‑trained restoration capacity. (cbsnews.com)
Foster City’s IT staff detected ransomware on the municipal network in the early hours of March 19, 2026, according to the city’s March 19 public notice. (fostercity.org (fostercity.org)) City officials said emergency services, including 911 and police dispatch, remained functional while the city investigates the incident’s scope. (fostercity.org (fostercity.org); nbcbayarea.com (nbcbayarea.com)) City Manager Stefan Chatwin told residents that it is possible public information was accessed and advised anyone who has done business with the city to change personal passwords. (fostercity.org (fostercity.org)) The city’s news release lists Communications Manager Austin Walsh as media contact and provides a direct phone line at (415) 806‑9683 for inquiries. (fostercity.org (fostercity.org)) Foster City’s publicly listed digital services include an eTrakit permitting portal at permit.fostercity.org and an OnlineBiller payments portal, identifying specific municipal subsystems tied to the network. (fostercity.org (permit.fostercity.org); onlinebiller.com (onlinebiller.com)) Officials confirmed the city engaged independent cybersecurity specialists to assist IT staff with containment and system integrity restoration as investigations continue. (ktvu.com (ktvu.com); nbcbayarea.com (nbcbayarea.com))
