(KRON) -- A city on the Peninsula is in the process of declaring a state of emergency after being hit by a paralyzing cyberattack. The City of Foster City announced on Thursday that it had been hit by a cyber security breach that was widely impacting city services due to ransomware on city networks. City IT staff identified the ransomware in the early hours of Thursday, March 19. All public services outside of emergency services have been put on pause temporarily, the city said. Investigations are underway to determine the extent of the breach with limited information available at this time, the city said. The Foster City Manager's Office is in the process of declaring a state of emergency in order to facilitate getting financial support from outside agencies. Biotech company cuts half its staff after disappointing trial sees stock plummet Emergency services including 911 and police dispatch are unaffected by the breach, city officials said. The city is warning that public information may have been accessed in the breach. As a precaution, the city is advising anyone who has done business with the city to change their passwords and take other measures to protect personal data. "The public's safety is our highest priority, so we encourage members of our community to take precautions that would best assure the security of their personal information," said City Manager Stefan Chatwin. "Foster City staff, with the assistance of outside cyber security experts, are working diligently to restore the integrity of the City's systems and ensure there are no further security issues impacting services to our community." The city said it would be providing updates on its social media channels. ...read more read less