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Fulton County cyberattack | What’s impacted, what’s operational?

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Updated  January 30, 2024 7:53pm EST
Fulton County
FOX 5 Atlanta

'Cyber security incident' impacts Fulton County systems

Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts gives an update on a cyberattack over the weekend which impacts the phone, court, and tax systems within the county.

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - A cyberattack in Fulton County still has officials grappling to recovery access to significant systems.

Despite many systems recovering, many critical technology systems affecting public services and internal functions remain offline.

Fulton County IT outage outage affects taxes

In Fulton County, a major technology mishap is creating a headache for residents. The IT outage reportedly affected multiple systems, like property taxes and some e-filing technology.

Here is a list of those key service disruptions and updates on other systems:

Communications Compromised: The majority of Fulton County office phone lines are down. Alternate contact methods, including phone numbers and emails, are available on the county's website at fultoncountyga.gov and through customerservice@fultoncountyga.gov.

Justice System Impacted: The outage has significantly affected the Fulton County justice system. Agencies within the system are collaborating and using backup processes to continue first appearance hearings and other scheduled court proceedings. However, e-filing and online record access are currently unavailable. The Sheriff’s Office is also relying on manual processes for detainee processing.

Tax Commissioner Office Reopening: The Fulton County Tax Commissioner Office in downtown Atlanta will reopen on January 31. The office will process all motor vehicle-related transactions, but property tax transactions remain unavailable. The Georgia Department of Revenue has granted a grace period for affected customers.

Clerk Offices Operational: The Offices of the Superior and Magistrate Clerk at the North and South Fulton Service Centers have reopened for notary commission and passport applications, with an appointment recommendation.

Probate Court Limited Services: Fulton County Probate Court offices can now issue marriage licenses and firearms permit renewals, but new firearms permits and marriage certificates are on hold.

Postponed Hearings: Hearings of the Boards of Equalization scheduled through February 5 are postponed.

Online Property Records Unavailable: The Board of Assessors' online property records are inaccessible, halting property-related transactions.

Library Services Partially Available: The Fulton County Library System’s online catalog and platforms are operational, but public computers are down.

Water Service Uninterrupted: Fulton County's water service continues, but billing and payment systems are offline.

911 System Functional: The county’s 911 system remains operational.

Police Department Limitations: The Fulton County Police Department cannot issue police reports currently.

Elections Offices Closed: The county's elections offices are temporarily shut, although Logic and Accuracy testing continues at the Elections Hub.

Senior Centers and Behavioral Health Services Active: All senior centers and the Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Disabilities are functioning normally.

Authorities say there is currently no evidence that Personally Identifiable Information (PII) has been compromised. County personnel are working to restore full services.