Ongoing network outage impacts following a ransomware attack have prompted Oakland, California, to declare a state of emergency, which would enable accelerated material and equipment procurement, as well as emergency worker activation if necessary, according to The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future. "Oakland continues to experience a network outage that has left several non-emergency systems including phone lines within the City of Oakland impacted or offline," said Oakland City Administrator G. Harold Duffey. While the ransomware attack was noted by the city not to impact its 911 emergency services and financial systems, it has slowed response times for the city's police department. Oakland has already been coordinating with several state and federal agencies in responding to the incident. "The ransomware incident affecting City of Oakland underscores a harsh reality that every governmental agency must confront: a ransomware attack isnt just a remote possibility but rather a likely imminent event. The major objectives of the threat actors behind these attacks are to be able to halt operations, encrypt crucial operational data, and generally cause havoc in the provision of governmental services," said comforte AG cybersecurity expert Erfan Shadabi.