UNRAVELLING THE TALE: HOW A CYBERATTACK LEFT THE HEART OF SEATTLE’S UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY BEATING OFFLINE

Its website and lending of ebooks went down suddenly thanks to a ransomware attack on its computer systems, but the Seattle Public Library was the latest in a series of public institutions whose dependence on digital technology is being undermined through a hidden battle taking place in the digital world.

THE INITIAL SHOCK: A DIGITAL STANDSTILL

One Saturday morning this spring, before the sun had risen over the skyline in the city of Seattle, librarians showed up for work in the electronic branch of the Seattle Public Library to a frightening surprise. A ransomware attack, carefully timed to exploit the Memorial Day weekend of scheduled maintenance, had infiltrated their systems. The library’s digital assault did not merely disrupt access to computer services. It attacked the very modern notion of access to knowledge, rendering the library’s online catalogue, the portal to electronic books and audiobooks, and even the Wi-Fi throughout the buildings inaccessible, temporarily transforming the library into a relic of the pre-digital era.

A SWIFT RESPONSE TO THE CYBER SIEGE

In an immediate response, the library mobilised a tech-savvy defence by calling in third-party forensic experts, and notifying law enforcement. The decision to take all systems offline was both a safety precaution and a strategic move. They wouldn’t know how to remedy the breach without some idea of how it had occurred.Although the specifics of the breach were unknown, one thing was sure: the library staff was serious about their job of protecting patron and employee information.

NAVIGATING THE AFTERMATH: A RETURN TO ANALOG

The cyberattack didn’t merely stop the digital circulation and processing systems of the library. The library pivoted back to analogue systems — people seeking materials at the checkout counter and the information desk were urged to bring their plastic cards or to pin their numbers to memory, since paper forms were distributed as temporary proxies for checking out physical media. The digital paralysis didn’t stop staff from doing what they do to keep the library going — they helped people, made sure that the spirit of the library as a place of learning and community was unaffected by the disruption.

THE BROADER SPECTRUM: A GLOBAL CHALLENGE

The attack on the Seattle Public Library is far from an isolated incident; rather, it’s part of a trend in which public institutions around the world are increasingly vulnerable to ransomware attacks that hackers have turned into a lucrative business. The ordeal is similar to the one the Boston Public Library experienced in 2021. With the motivation and often the means to pay exorbitant ransoms, these organisations are high on the list of targets. They represent desperate environments with the ability to pay.

LOOKING AHEAD: RESTORATION AND RESILIENCE

While the Seattle Public Library continues to address the attack in real time – restoring systems, confirming damage – those who have lost books shouldn’t start wiping off the fines just yet; a full recovery could be weeks away. But in the meantime, the library is not charging patrons their daily late fees, and it feels good to know that an institution that greets an attack with the intent to help and heal shares that spirit.

CHARGE AHEAD: THE QUEST FOR DIGITAL SECURITY IN PUBLIC SPACES

We all have a stake in this not just because more and more of our public institutions are increasingly digital but also because dealing with those cyber threats is a shared enterprise. The Seattle Public Library’s brush with ransomware is a symptom of the weather we’re facing. But it also shows that we can be better prepared for that weather.

IN CONCLUSION: UNDERSTANDING THE CHARGE AGAINST CYBER THREATS

In the age of digital ubiquity, defending against such cyber threats is a foundation skill in the life of an encoder. Seattle Public Library’s response to the cyberattack shows the extent to which cybersecurity is everyone’s business in the effort to protect our civic infrastructure. The resilience, response, and recovery also shows the way forward against cyber adversaries, as they become more of a threat by the day, highlighting the need for our communities to be fluid in defending against them. Through these challenges, it is in our power to secure the vaults of civilisation within the communities that make them.