July 12. The Town of Cornelius has stabilized a potential cyber threat that may delay or suspend some services provided by the town.The threat, detected last night, was caused by ransomware located on a town device. It was detected early by staff.

Importantly, 911 calls are not affected.

All on-site technology has been disconnected from the town’s network in order to contain the threat.

Services most affected will be those delivered over the phone or those requiring staff to access files located on town servers, which are in the process of being scanned. The town operates its own 911 center, separate from Mecklenburg County.

In a press release, the town said the Technology Operations (TechOps) Department immediately severed on-site technology from the network in order to contain the threat and prevent its spread.

TechOps is working with the North Carolina Local Government Information Systems Association (NCLGISA) and Mecklenburg County Emergency Management to scan and clean all affected devices before the Town returns to normal operations.