It 's been a week since hackers launched a ransomware attack Attack.Ransom against the city of Atlanta , and local officials are still grappling with its effects . `` We are dealing with a hostage situation , '' Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in a statement . On Thursday , municipal courts were closed again and residents were unable to pay their traffic tickets or water bills online . In some cases , employees had to fill out urgent forms and reports by hand , CNN reported . The city allowed its employees to turn on their work computers and printers for the first time on Wednesday , although officials warned that some computers may still be affected . In a ransomware attack, Attack.Ransom hackers place malware on a computer — or system of computers — that restricts access , and then d emand payment Attack.Ransom to undo it . The culprits h ave demanded Attack.Ransom the city of Atlanta p ay Attack.Ransom them $ 51,000 in bitcoin to unlock the government 's encrypted systems . Bottoms would not say whether the city would meet their request . Atlanta officials — along with local law enforcement , the FBI , the Department of Homeland Security , and Secret Service — are said to be working round-the-clock on the matter to investigate whether any government data or anybody 's personal information w as compromised. Attack.Databreach An information portal has been set up on the city government 's website to keep residents and employees updated on the latest developments of the hack . Officials from Atlanta Information Management , the city 's technology department , realized the city had been attacked on March 22 . As a result , officials said , `` some city data is encrypted and customers are not able to access city applications . '' This has mostly prevented people from using online applications to pay bills and access court-related information . Although Atlanta officials have not yet identified those behind the attack , an Atlanta-based security firm called Dell SecureWorks , which is helping the city investigate the attack , pointed to a group called SamSam , according to The New York Times . It is not clear who is part of the group or where it is based . On Monday , Mayor Bottoms held a news conference to reassure the public that the city was doing everything in its power to restore its systems , but cautioned people against taking the matter lightly . `` I just want to make the point that this is much bigger than a ransomware attack, Attack.Ransom `` Bottoms said . `` This is really an attack on our government , which means it 's an attack on all of us . ''

( CNN ) Atlanta 's mayor on Thursday urged anyone with personal information in city information systems to check their financial records as an investigation continues into a r ansomware attack Attack.Ransom on the city . Ransomware is a malicious software that prevents or limits users from accessing their system by locking them out until a ransom is paid. Attack.Ransom NBC affiliate WXIA reported that the city received a ransom demand Attack.Ransom in bitcoin for $ 6,800 per unit or $ 51,000 to unlock the entire system . CNN has not independently confirmed the report . Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms advised city employees to contact credit agencies and monitor their bank accounts in case their personal data w as compromised. Attack.Databreach She urged the public to take the same precautions while investigators work to determine the scope of the attack . `` We do n't know the extent so we just ask that you be vigilant , '' Bottoms said in a Thursday news conference . `` All of us are subject to this attack , if you will . Many of us pay our bills online , we have direct deposit , so go online and check your bank statements . '' Atlanta Chief Operating Officer Richard Cox confirmed that the city received a written d emand Attack.Ransom related to t he attack. Attack.Ransom When asked in the news conference if the city was going to p ay a ransom, Attack.Ransom Bottoms said , `` We ca n't speak to that right now . '' `` We will be looking for guidance from , specifically , our federal partners on how to best navigate the best course of action , '' she said . The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security are investigating the cyberattack , which Atlanta Information Management officials learned of Thursday at 5:40 a.m. , Cox said . DHS spokesman Scott McConnell said the agency offered technical expertise and support and referred questions to the city . The city announced outages earlier Thursday to various customer-facing applications , including those used to pay bills and access court-related information . Thursday afternoon , Cox said several departments were affected , too . Some city data remains encrypted while investigators continue to determine the scope of t he attack, Attack.Ransom he said . The city 's payroll has not been affected , he said . Public safety and water services are operating without incident . The city engaged Microsoft and a team from Cisco 's Incident Response Services in the investigation , Deputy Chief Information Officer Daphne Rackley said . When asked if the city was aware of vulnerabilities and failed to take action , Rackley said the city had implemented measures in the past that might have lessened the scope of the breach . She cited a `` cloud strategy '' to migrate critical systems to secure infrastructure . `` This is not a new issue to the state of Georgia , it 's not a new issue to our country . We have been taking active measures to mitigate any risk in the past . '' In the meantime , the mayor urged caution . `` We do n't know if it 's limited to information related to just our employees or if it 's more extensive than that . But because we do n't know I think that it would be appropriate for the public just to be vigilant in checking their accounts and making sure your credit agencies also have been notified . ''