The Boston Public Library disclosed last Friday that its network was hit by a cyberattack on Wednesday, leading to a system-wide technical outage.
"On Wednesday morning, 8/25, the Boston Public Library experienced a systemwide technical outage due to a cybersecurity attack, pausing public computer and public printing services, as well as some online resources," the library said in a statement. "Affected systems were taken offline immediately, and proactive steps were taken to isolate the problem and shutdown network communication. There is currently no evidence that sensitive employee or patron data has been disclosed."
BPL serves almost 4 million visitors per year through its central library and twenty-five neighborhood branches, as well as millions more online.
It is the third-largest public library in the United States behind the federal Library of Congress and the New York Public Library, based on the total number of items it holds.
"The library is currently experiencing a significant system outage and online library services that require login are unavailable," a notice on the library's site currently reads.
In a statement published earlier today, BPL said that the ongoing technical outage was caused by a cyberattack that hit its systems on Wednesday
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"On Wednesday morning, 8/25, the Boston Public Library experienced a systemwide technical outage due to a cybersecurity attack, pausing public computer and public printing services, as well as some online resources," the library states.
"Affected systems were taken offline immediately, and proactive steps were taken to isolate the problem and shutdown network communication."
An ongoing investigation in collaboration with law enforcement and the Mayor's IT experts has not yet found any evidence of employee or patron data stolen from the impacted systems.
"The extent of this is still being assessed," he said. "The attack was indeed that bad."
Anyone with questions is encouraged to call the library at (617) 536-5400 or email ask@bpl.org.