CES 2020: Las Vegas dodged a major cyberattack during the tech fest

City officials confirmed that its systems were attacked, forcing the local government to take down a number of online services, including its public website.

Las Vegas city officials did not specifically mention which systems were affected by the attack during CES 2020. (REUTERS)

The city of Las Vegas escaped a major cyberattack as thousands gathered for the world's largest tech show -- the CES 2020, the city officials have confirmed.

City officials confirmed that its systems were attacked, forcing the local government to take down a number of online services, including its public website, Tech Radar has recently reported.

The cyberattack was underway when the city was warming up for the official start of the show formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show.

The city tweeted about the attack, but did not specifically mention which systems were affected or how the attack happened.

According to Las Vegas Review-Journal, it may have been an email attack.

The attack came as cities across the country suffer from an onslaught of hacks that are usually designed to hold computer systems for ransom. More than 70 state and local governments in the US were attacked last year, according to IT security company Barracuda Networks, says a CNET report.

The CES is an annual event and is the largest show of the year for the tech industry and one of the biggest conferences in the US.

Last year, CES drew more than 175,000 people and 4,400 exhibiting companies.