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Scrape Timestamp (UTC): 2024-07-22 17:17:34.676

Source: https://www.theregister.com/2024/07/22/ransomware_la_county_superior_court/

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LA County Superior Court closes doors to reboot justice after ransomware attack. Some rest for the wicked?. Los Angeles County Superior Court, the largest trial court in America, closed all 36 of its courthouses today following an "unprecedented" ransomware attack on Friday. According to a statement, the malware bricked "every electronic platform containing court data," both internal and external court systems, as well as every internet-connected device including the phones. Since Friday, court employees and infosec experts have been working around the clock to reconfigure and restore court servers and databases, we're told. They are still assessing the extent of the network intrusion, however, and during the work to resurrect IT systems "have encountered obstacles that make it impossible for judges and court personnel to conduct proceedings on Monday, July 22, 2024." Court officials made the decision to close all locations across Los Angeles County on Sunday night, and said they expect to reopen on Tuesday. "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 in a statement. "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." The network disruption is unrelated to the CrowdStrike fiasco on Friday that shut down Windows systems across the globe, according to an earlier statement.

Daily Brief Summary

CYBERCRIME // LA County Superior Court Shuts Following Major Ransomware Attack

Los Angeles County Superior Court, the largest trial court in the U.S., temporarily shut all 36 courthouses due to a significant ransomware attack.

The malware attack, reported on Friday, compromised every electronic platform used by the court, including internal systems, external communications, and internet-connected devices.

Court officials and IT professionals have been working intensively to reconfigure and restore servers and databases since the attack.

As of Sunday evening, many critical systems were still offline, leading to the closure of court services on Monday with plans to reopen by Tuesday.

Presiding Judge Samantha P. Jessner emphasized the unprecedented nature of the attack and the ongoing efforts to protect data integrity and secure the network.

Recovery efforts have faced multiple obstacles, making it impossible for legal proceedings to occur as scheduled.

The cyberattack is noted to be unrelated to the simultaneous CrowdStrike incident affecting Windows systems globally.