The city of Columbia, South Carolina, said it is responding to a cyberattack that has disabled several government systems, including the MyColaSC platform residents use to pay utility bills, report non-emergency issues and access other city services. Geographic information systems and systems supporting animal services were also knocked offline, and officials asked residents to telephone reports of potholes, fallen trees and broken streetlights while the platform remains down. The city's IT department identified suspicious activity and referred the matter to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, which is leading the investigation and declined to comment. Columbia, a city of about 150,000 people, did not answer questions about whether ransomware was involved, and no group had claimed responsibility. Officials said police, fire, 911 communications and water systems remained operational. South Carolina has recently dealt with ransomware at Spartanburg county and an incident at the AnMed hospital system.

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