Federal authorities are investigating a cyber-attack that took place in Pensacola, Florida, the US Naval Air Station Base.
City officials became aware of the cyberattack at 1:30 am (6:30 GMT) in less than 24 hours after the shooting in which the officials claimed a Saudi Arabian student opening fire on 8th December 2019, killing 3 sailors, and wounded 8. Officials are still unsure whether the attack is related to this shooting.
The shooter, Alshamrani, a 21-year-old second lieutenant in the Royal Saudi Air Force and a student naval officer, was on the base as a part of the Navy Training program designed to foster links with allies. He allegedly hosted a dinner party earlier this week where he and 3 others saw videos of mass shootings.
Kaycee Lagarde, the Mayor’s spokesperson, commented that they are still assessing the cyberattack, and Homeland Security has been intimated about the incident.
The US has seen an increase in cyberattacks in recent years, where a cyberattack hit 22 cities and local governments of Texas in August this year. The attacks were seemingly well-coordinated, and authorities haven’t narrowed down on a culprit yet.
Small towns are more vulnerable to cyberattacks, but larger cities like Atlanta and Baltimore also fell victim to cyber-attacks. Albany, the New York state capital, also fell target to ransomware attack earlier this year.
The damage of the current cyber-attack hasn’t been made public as the numbers are highly classified.