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WEATHER | FROM PAGE 1 mass, forecasters say, are the expected wind gusts up to 35 to 45 miles per hour, making it feel even colder. The windchill – a measure of what it will feel like due to the combination of temperatures and wind – is expected to be close to 30 below zero Friday night into Saturday morning. The National Weather Service early Wednesday morning issued a windchill watch for all of Massachusetts from late Thursday to Saturday afternoon. The peak of the windchill is expected through early Friday evening, forecasters said, before it drops off slightly overnight into Saturday. City and town officials in all of our Advocate communities are urging all residents to be extremely cautious in conjunction with this weather, including how to dress in extreme cold and to stay inside as much as possible. The same advice is for humans and pets when venturing outdoors in extreme cold. (See separate story on extreme cold tips.) Temperatures are expected to return to the slightly above normal temperatures we have been experiencing thus far this winter by Monday, with the thermometer in the lowto-mid 40s, even back to low 50s by Tuesday. There is no substantial snow forecast in the near future, as the snowfall total of just 7 inches so far this winter remains well below normal. THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, February 3, 2023 CYBERATTACK | FROM PAGE 1 Page 11 related that Mayor Christenson and others moved quickly to assemble “an incident response team comprised of City of Malden police assets assigned to the FBI and their counterparts in the State Police and Secret Service cyber-crime units.” According to the city’s statement, “The incident response team assembled at City Hall within hours of the attack and worked with IT to collect digital forensic data and assess scope of any potential data breach.” City officials confirmed that the investigation and assessment continued into this week as the full and complete extent of the cyberattack was being determined and understood. Following is the complete KEEP YOUR PETS INSIDE: If you’re cold... so are your pets! Please keep them inside during extreme cold. text of the official municipal statement on January 31 (“Update on System Outages at City Hall”) regarding the cyberattack. It is also available and accessible online at www.cityofmalden.org. “We wanted to provide the Malden community with a brief update on the situation we’ve been working through since last week. On Wednesday, January 25th, the City of Malden was the target of a focused cyber-attack. Unfortunately, it is A cyberattack targeted municipal IT systems last week and is being investigated. the reality of the digital world we live in today, and disruptive at best when you are the target of such attacks. “Our Information Technology Department (IT) in concert with its security teams was able to respond, suspend and isolate systems in the very early stage of the attack. Mayor Christenson, in conjunction with our IT Director Anthony Rodrigues and Police Chief Glenn Cronin, assembled an incident response team comprised of City of Malden police assets assigned to the FBI and their counterparts in the State Police and Secret Service cyber-crime units. The incident response team assembled at City Hall within hours of the attack and worked with IT to collect digital forensic data and assess scope of any potential data breach. “As we work to assess the impact, we have employed the most conservative approach in bringing systems and networks back online. Currently, while our phones and email systems remain active, employees who make use of certain internal systems are still limited in their access. We continue to review and scan systems for reactivation on a one-byone basis. Simultaneously, we are working to quantify the impact of the attack and assess if there was any breach of data. More information will be forthcoming as we expand to normal operations. “We appreciate your patience as we work through the necessary steps to bring our full network back to its normal, steady state.” DRESS WARMLY: The National Weather Service offers pertinent, common-sense advice for dealing with extreme cold. (Courtesy Photo) W ith extreme cold moving into the area today, with record cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills, the National Weather Service offers the following tips on maintaining Extreme Cold Safety. General Information —Minimize travel. —Stay indoors during the worst part of the extreme cold. —Keep a winter survival kit in your vehicle if you must travel. —Check gas tank supply, tire pressure, antifreeze levels, heater/defroster, etc. —Learn how to shut off water valves for potential pipe bursts. —Check on the elderly. —Bring pets inside. How Should I Dress? —Wear layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing and a hat. —Mittens, snug at the wrist, are better than gloves. —Cover your mouth to protect your lungs from extreme cold. —Try to stay dry and out of the wind.

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