Maryland paratransit service interrupted by cyber incident
A service in Maryland that provides transportation to people with disabilities is unable to take new reservations following a recent “cybersecurity incident that involves unauthorized access to certain systems,” officials from the state’s technology bureau announced over the weekend.
“Upon detecting the incident, our cybersecurity teams immediately took actions to investigate the nature and scope of the incident, to contain the threat, and to secure our systems,” the state’s notice reads.
To respond to the event, the Maryland Department of Emergency Management activated a statewide emergency operations center that includes participants from the Maryland Transit Administration, the state Department of Information Technology and other agencies. Such interagency groups are often used to respond to emergencies, which can involve technologies and infrastructure used and managed by disparate groups throughout state government.
Officials said buses, subways and other MTA services were not affected, but its mobility paratransit services, which provide rides to people with disabilities who are unable to board a bus, have been disrupted. Officials said they will honor all rides scheduled for this week, but that they’re unable to book new reservations. The web portal typically used to schedule rides, which can cost $2.20 for a one-way trip, according to a state document, is unavailable.
The state recommended users of the MTA service instead book rides using Call-A-Ride, a program facilitated by the state in which riders deal directly with taxi companies. The state warned that MTA “does not guarantee the availability of a particular type of vehicle or pickup time.”
Maryland wasn’t the only state to face cybersecurity troubles over the weekend. Some of Nevada’s websites and phone lines are offline after a recent “network security incident.”
