LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Central Arkansas Library System recently experienced unexpected network activity that disrupted internet and phone service.
CALS officials said that this cyber trouble has been an issue since February 6th.
CALS Executive Director Nate Coulter said the issue is likely to persist through at least next week.
“We understand that this will have a disruptive impact on our space because people who come to the library who need to be connected to the internet weren’t able to do that,” Coulter said.
He said that although the hack has disrupted daily operations, CALS remains optimistic about the loss of public information.
If you go to CALS.orgIf you select , you’ll see a disclaimer explaining that CALS has recently experienced unexpected network activity that has disrupted your internet and phone calls. Once they became aware of this activity, they said they took the connected systems offline to verify system security and investigate the issue.
“The main issue is that it’s slow to get back online because we’re trying to secure all the endpoints where this hack would have taken place,” Coulter said.
Coulter said after figuring out the problem, the next step is to confirm that no official identification documents were stolen or copied.
“We don’t store any of the information typically associated with banks or healthcare providers,” he explained. “I don’t have your social security number.”
He added that the only information saved is addresses and book checkout history.
Regarding that information and library information, Coulter said CALS “cannot definitively say” that data was lost.
The public will still be able to view the books while this matter is investigated. But without the internet, even if a book is returned to the library, CALS is unable to update the catalog to reflect that the book has been returned, Coulter said.
Coulter said that other than the catalog being updated, everything works fine when using the library on the device.
CALS said that if fines are past due, they will be adjusted as necessary once service is restored. If you need assistance, please contact us at askcals@cals.org or visit your nearest CALS branch.
