Ransomware Attack Shuts Down Three Dozen Los Angeles Courts

Los Angeles County closed down 36 local superior court offices due to an ongoing ransomware attack.

The county court said that it will be making the closure as part of the cleanup process of a cyberattack it first detected on Friday, July 19.

“The court experienced an unprecedented cyberattack on Friday which has resulted in the need to shut down nearly all network systems in order to contain the damage, protect the integrity and confidentiality of information and ensure future network stability and security,” said Presiding Judge Samantha P. Jessner.

“While the court continues to move swiftly towards a restoration and recovery phase, many critical systems remain offline as of Sunday evening. One additional day will enable the court’s team of experts to focus exclusively on bringing our systems back online so that the court can resume operations as expeditiously, smoothly and safely as possible.”

According to the county, the infection was contained and is being removed by its own staff and outside security consulting firms. However, with some essential systems and services still offline, it is taking the step of closing down operations with hopes of being back online by the start of business in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning.

“The court recognizes the significance of a court closure on the communities it serves and the mission it abides by,” the statement reads.

“However, it is essential that judicial officers and court staff are able to work in an environment that is safe and secure and with the information they need to meet the court’s mission at their disposal.”

According to industry experts, the promise of a prompt relaunch on Tuesday morning may not be a sure thing given the nature and reported extent of the outbreak.

“Though their news release predicts the courts will be back online by Tuesday, until we hear otherwise the courts are in recess and unable to conduct trials or any sort of day-to-day business,” said Sean Deuby, principal technologist for security provider Semperis.

“That isn’t good for any court, but especially not the largest one in the U.S. It can be challenging to find silver linings these days when we hear about another ransomware attack because of the frequency that they occur.”

This is not the first time a ransomware attack has caused major headaches in Los Angeles. The LA Unified School District has been dealing with an ongoing series of reported ransomware data breaches that were most recently said to have amounted to tens of millions of student records.

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