The Alicante Provincial Council faced a day of disrupted online access as its websites failed to load for residents and officials. The provincial agency coordinates the work of the province’s 141 municipalities, with the Provincial Palace providing support while smaller towns often handle many tasks locally. Government sources and members of the People’s Party indicated that the outage stemmed from a technical glitch rather than a cyberattack aimed at extracting gains or sabotaging public services. Mayors across the region offered mixed reactions, some downplaying the incident because it occurred during a long weekend, while others lamented that routine operations could not be completed, affecting daily civic tasks and resident inquiries. This assessment comes from multiple local officials and party representatives. (Source: Provincial Council)
A broader view shows that the disruption extended beyond the public-facing pages. The website committee and numerous affiliated organizations, together with the Official Gazette of the Province and registry-linked services, experienced interruptions. Officials stated the root cause involved cooling issues at the data processing facilities near the Provincial Palace in Alicante, a station known to house key IT infrastructure. (Source: Provincial Council)
Message
The Assembly’s Information Technology Department informed provincial staff of ongoing computer problems. The notice explained that IT services were halted due to air conditioning failures in the data center, a measure taken to prevent broader damage. It added that there were no guarantees from the conservation department about immediate restoration. The message also noted that because conditions were stable, services would remain offline through Friday and the weekend to avoid a worsening incident. Technicians were working at full speed to restore functionality, with the timeline unclear—whether a weekend fix would suffice or if recovery would push into the following week. (Source: Provincial Council)
Among the mayors consulted, Juan Francisco Pérez Llorca, the Popular mayor of Finestrat, described the main issue as registration-related. He acknowledged that the long weekend often brought recurring problems, but he did not minimize the impact this time. Lázaro Azorín, a Socialist mayor of Pinoso, explained he was outside town when the outage occurred and that the government team failed to inform him about the crash affecting computers. (Source: Provincial Council)
The mayor of Xixona, Isabel López, a Socialist and member of parliament, offered a harsher assessment, calling the day largely useless for her municipality. The city’s website and email were inaccessible, preventing residents from completing online transactions. She noted that officials expected the service to be restored no earlier than Monday and pointed out that the provincial support network serves most municipalities. The interruption underscored the growing reliance on digital tools for public administration. (Source: Provincial Council)
cyber attacks
Security matters have gained prominence for the Provincial Council, which has invested in strengthened protections for municipal networks. A high-security facility was established with a significant investment to guard against intrusions, acting as a robust data fortress for local administrations. At the same time, data from the council indicates the province faces a substantial daily volume of attempted attacks, underscoring the ongoing importance of resilient IT infrastructure. The council notes that it currently hosts a substantial portion of the province’s municipal websites and oversees thousands of email accounts and local accounting systems. (Source: Provincial Council)
Local governance in Alicante continues to rely on a centralized IT backbone, even as communities push for seamless online services. The incident highlights the need for reliable cooling systems, continuous monitoring, and rapid response protocols to minimize downtime. Officials emphasize that while the event was disruptive, it also served as a reminder of the essential role digital tools play in everyday civic life and the obligation to protect them against future disruptions. (Source: Provincial Council)