Official from CALS discusses the latest breach that has affected phones and the internet in libraries

Little Rock, Arkansas – Unexpected network activity has recently caused internet and phone disruptions for the Central Arkansas Library System.

According to CALS officials, there has been a cyber glitch since February 6.

According to CALS executive director Nate Coulter, there’s a good probability this issue won’t go away until next week at the latest.

“We understand it’s disruptive to our spaces because people coming to the library needing to get connection to the internet just hadn’t been able to do it,” Coulter said.
Even though the attack has interfered with daily operations, he stated that CALS is hopeful that no public information would be compromised.

A disclaimer explaining that CALS recently encountered unusual network activity that affected their phones and internet may be seen on CALS.org. They claimed to have taken their linked systems offline as soon as the activity was detected to look into the matter and verify the security of their systems.

“The main problem is getting slowly back online because we’re trying to secure all of the endpoints where this hack would have taken place,” Coulter said.
The next step, according to Coulter, will be to ensure that no public identity is stolen or copied after the issue has been identified.

“We don’t keep any information that you would normally associate with banks or health care providers,” he explained. “We don’t have your social security number.”
He clarified that addresses and book checkout histories are the only records that are retained.

Regarding that data and the information from the library, Coulter stated that CALS “cannot say for certain” that no data has been deleted.

The public can still check out books while this is being looked at. However, Coulter stated that in the absence of the internet, CALS is unable to update the catalogue to indicate the return of a book when it is checked out again from the library.

Coulter stated that if you utilize the library on your devices, everything functions well aside from an updated catalogue.

CALS stated that after service is restored, they will make any necessary adjustments to any past-due fines you may have. They advised anyone in need of support to get in touch with them at [email protected] or stop by the nearest CALS chapter.