A cyberattack has left a Mississippi city unable to send or collect its own utility bills. Vicksburg's computer systems were shut down on Oct. 1 after a ransomware attack, Security Magazine reported. Ransomware locks up a network's files until a ransom is paid.

Water and gas service still works. So do 911, police and fire, the city said. But workers cannot pull up customer accounts, check balances or give receipts, Mayor Willis Thompson told The Vicksburg Post.

That created a problem for anyone trying to pay. "You run the risk of paying for something, and I can't give you credit for it because the system is down," Thompson said.

So the city stopped late penalties and service shutoffs. Customers will get time to catch up and make sure payments are credited once systems return. The disruption was still going on Tuesday morning, when customers were not being let into the Water and Gas Administration office, the Post reported.

Recovery is slow by design. Cybersecurity specialists from the city's insurer are checking each system, with Mississippi Homeland Security and the FBI involved. Systems will come back one at a time after they are cleared. "It could take 48 hours. It could take two weeks," Thompson said. "It just depends on the extent of the damage."

The city does not yet know whether personal data was taken. It says it will notify customers, workers and others if investigators find their information was accessed.

An outside expert said rushing back could backfire. Bringing a payment system online before learning how attackers got in "could leave the city vulnerable to renewed disruption," said Michael Centrella of SecurityScorecard, a security ratings firm, in comments to Security Magazine.

What we know: Utilities still run, and shutoffs and late fees are paused.
What we don't: Whether any customer data was stolen, and when billing returns.