Monrovia Launches Interim Website to Replace Old Site Compromised by Hackers

The city of Monrovia launched a new interim website Thursday to replace the old site that had been hacked and remained compromised for more than a year.

The interim site will be operational until a finalized version is implemented in September, according to a city news release.

The city had hired a local firm to redesign its website in July 2012 after hackers briefly took over the site in May 2012. But the firm, Mad Haus Creative, failed to deliver a workable site despite being paid nearly $20,000, according to city officials.

The firm also could not secure the site and it remained compromised throught June 2013, a city official said.

The City Council voted to award a new $22,600 contract to Aha Consulting for the site's redesign in June. The interim site is the first step in the redesign process, according to the news release.

"The site currently features most of the content from the old site, with some pages are still under construction," the release states. "All website content will be uploaded to the interim site over the next few weeks."

The final site is expected to include the following new functionality, according to the release:

• micro-sites for each City Department
• a mobile-specific site for those accessing the website on a smartphone or tablet
• email subscriptions
• an emergency alert ticker
• a Google-optimized search engine
• social networking integration
• rotating banner images
• photo album slideshows
• customized design for branding and marketing