Cybersecurity Incident Confirmed at the Pierce County Library System - pcls
On April 21, 2025, Pierce County Library System (“PCLS” or the “Library”) Information Technology staff shut down all computer network systems in an abundance of caution after it detected unusual and potentially malicious activity. We immediately engaged cyber security experts, including the Multistate Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC), a government cybersecurity organization, to provide support through the initial investigation.
As of May 12, 2025, we can now confirm that the Library was the target of a cybersecurity event, where an outside entity gained unauthorized access to the PCLS network. The initial systems investigation took about three weeks and included work with over a thousand individual systems, servers, software, and databases. This thorough process was necessary to scan for malware, identify possible data removal, and retrace the unauthorized individual's steps to understand the extent of the breach.
The investigation confirmed that some Library data was taken. The details of the information accessed remain unknown at this time and are still under investigation. Individuals whose personally identifiable information was impacted, will be notified accordingly. As a practice, the Library minimizes the amount of personal information collected from library users.
This cybersecurity event is a criminal act, and we have notified the appropriate law enforcement agencies. We continue to coordinate with cybersecurity professionals as we move into the next stage of response to the incident.
The Library remains committed to enhancing security systems and protecting personally identifiable information. We appreciate your patience as our staff work diligently to provide uninterrupted service despite this outage. Significant progress has been made in the secure restoration of our systems, and full restoration is within sight. Please continue to check our website for regular updates on service outages and restoration.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this challenging time. Your support is invaluable to us.