Officials in Clay County have declared a local disaster declaration through July 18 after government servers were targeted in a cyberattack.
The Clay County Emergency Management Agency said in a social media announcement that county government offices suffered a “significant ransomware attack” early Tuesday which made it impossible to provide critical services needed for the courthouse, community corrections and probation to operate.
The attack also prevented officials from accessing data or connecting with state partners it works with. Evidence so far suggests no personal data has been compromised, according to information released by the county.
The county said it isolated affected systems in the attack’s immediate aftermath to contain it as much as possible. It’s now working with cybersecurity experts and federal authorities to investigate and resolve the issue.
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A disaster declaration allows local governments to access state and/or federal funding and direct it as needed to address a local disaster.
All courthouse offices remain closed in the meantime. This affects all legal proceedings and services at the prosecutor’s offices and both circuit and superior courts.
Officials encourage anyone with a scheduled court date to call the court on July 22 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. If courts still need to be closed on July 22, separate instructions will come July 19.
The county says those affected should also reach their legal representative and look for updates on the Clay County EMA Facebook page.
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All other county offices, including the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and dispatch center, are still operational.
The attack on Clay County came the week after Monroe County was targeted in a separate cyberattack. The source in that attack was identified as BlackSuit, a type of ransomware affiliated with a Russian cybercriminal organization.
Clay County EMA Director Robert Gambill did not say whether the source is the same as the Monroe County cyberattack. He declined an interview with WFIU/WTIU News, saying officials are fully focused on response and restoration efforts.
