Ransomware attack on PA attorney general leads to case delays Spotlight PA
pJournalism that Gets Results ppThe Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General was the victim of a ransomware attack earlier this month Spotlight PA has learnedppThe attack first reported by the office on Aug 11 as a cyber incident has impaired many functions of the agency as some staff and prosecutors remain unable to access archived emails files and internal systems crucial to pursuing cases on behalf of the commonwealthppThe office confirmed the attack to Spotlight PA on FridayppThe interruption was caused by an outsider encrypting files in an effort to force the office to make a payment to restore operations according to a statement shared by the office No payment has been made An active investigation is ongoing with other agencies which limits our ability to comment further on the investigation or response to the incidentppThe Office of the Attorney General is the states top law enforcement agency Attorneys with the office pursue both civil and criminal cases as well as defend the state government They do this across a variety of courts including countylevel Common Pleas statelevel appellate courts and federal courtsppStanding orders from Philadelphia and federal courts have postponed some cases through at least midSeptember citing an inability for attorneys with the office to contact witnesses produce discovery or respond to filings in a timely manner all basic steps necessary for court cases to proceedppOn Friday the office said We do not expect based on what the investigation has revealed so far that any criminal prosecutions or investigations or civil proceedings will be negatively impacted solely due to the outside interruptionppAttorneys have been going to court and agents have been performing investigative tasks over the past three weeks according to the officeppAn Aug 12 letter from Senior Deputy Attorney General Cara Greenhall to Philadelphia Common Pleas Judge Daniel Anders acknowledged that Office of Attorney General staff are unable to access any litigation datappIT staff are working diligently to identify and resolve the problem but we are unable to access our computer systems for the foreseeable future Greenhall wroteppppEmail address
ppSign UpppIn response Anders suspended all civil trial litigation through Sept 12 Anders also postponed criminal matters related to individuals challenging their convictions through Sept 21ppAll three federal district courts have issued similar standing orders which will bring civil cases to a standstill for at least the next month It remains unclear whether criminal cases are similarly affectedppThe Eastern and Middle District orders refer to the incident as a cyberattackppSpotlight PA was not able to immediately determine how the incident is impacting other county courts or the three state appellate courtsppIn an Aug 18 news release Attorney General Dave Sunday acknowledged an outside interruption brought down the offices website phones and email systems but at the time the office did not publicly identify a cause for the situationppAn earlier release from the agency said that the network that hosts the Office of Attorney Generals systems is currently down meaning the offices website is offline as are office email accounts and land phone linesppFridays statement said that a majority of office staff can access email and that the departments main phone line and website are functional The states complaint and online registration site for home improvement contractors remains downppIn the releases Sunday called the situation frustrating and thanked both technology staff and law enforcement partners for working around the clock to resolve the matterppThis situation has certainly tested OAG staff and prompted some modifications to our typical routines however we are committed to our duty and mission to protect and represent Pennsylvanians and are confident that mission is being fulfilled Sunday said in the Friday statement You can judge the character of an organization by how it reacts to adversity I am very proud of our staff who continue to work and find ways to overcome these unexpected hurdles to fulfill our duty to the CommonwealthppSpotlight PA asked Sundays office for further clarification on how the attack occurred and whether any sensitive information has been compromised Fridays statement did not answer these questionsppIn response to questions from Spotlight PA an FBI spokesperson said the agency is aware of the incident but has nothing further to provideppPennsylvania is the latest state to have a cyber incident affect its attorney general Earlier this year Virginias state attorney generals office was the victim of a ransomware attack that knocked nearly all its computer systems offline In 2021 the Office of the Illinois Attorney General also suffered a cyberattackppEarlier this year state Sen Kristin PhillipsHill R York introduced a slate of legislation aimed at improving Pennsylvanias cybersecurity preparedness including a bill that would establish a chief information officer to oversee regular system updates data maintenance and other security standards across state agenciesppThese bills will strengthen cybersecurity measures theyll enhance oversight and theyll improve government responsiveness to digital threats PhillipsHill said in a March video introducing the package We cannot afford to be reactive on cybersecurityppPennsylvania faced one such threat in 2017 when a ransomware attack hit the state Senate Democratic caucus locking lawmakers and staff out of their systems The hackers demanded payment in a cryptocurrency amount valued at roughly 30000 according to reporting from the time The caucus declined at the advice of the FBI but ultimately paid more than 700000 to Microsoft to rebuild its systemppMembers of the public looking to contact the attorney generals office can call 717 7873391 or email infoattorneygeneralgov People can still file complaints at attorneygeneralgov but there may be processing delaysppFocus
Pennsylvania State Police Department of Corrections courts judicial systempp
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DTOhlppWe grant elected officials extraordinary power when we give them our vote which means we must demand extraordinary accountability once they are in office Thats why Spotlight PAs trustworthy unbiased local news is more important than ever and why we need you nowppWere independent and we dont answer to shareholders or a big corporation Were neutral in this polarized time with no political agenda or opinion pieces And were a nonprofit allowing us to prioritize factbased investigative and publicservice reporting for our communityppIf youre looking for a meaningful way to make a difference in these uncertain times I cant think of a better investment than Spotlight PAs unique local reporting for Pennsylvania that gets real resultsppYour taxdeductible support of any amount will ensure our vital work can continuepp Christopher Baxter CEOPresidentppPS If you prefer to mail a check you can send it toppSpotlight PA PO Box 11728 Harrisburg PA 171081728ppSign up for PA Post to understand whats happening across PA in less than five minutes a daypp 2025 Spotlight PA This site is powered by Netlifypppp
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ppSign UpppIn response Anders suspended all civil trial litigation through Sept 12 Anders also postponed criminal matters related to individuals challenging their convictions through Sept 21ppAll three federal district courts have issued similar standing orders which will bring civil cases to a standstill for at least the next month It remains unclear whether criminal cases are similarly affectedppThe Eastern and Middle District orders refer to the incident as a cyberattackppSpotlight PA was not able to immediately determine how the incident is impacting other county courts or the three state appellate courtsppIn an Aug 18 news release Attorney General Dave Sunday acknowledged an outside interruption brought down the offices website phones and email systems but at the time the office did not publicly identify a cause for the situationppAn earlier release from the agency said that the network that hosts the Office of Attorney Generals systems is currently down meaning the offices website is offline as are office email accounts and land phone linesppFridays statement said that a majority of office staff can access email and that the departments main phone line and website are functional The states complaint and online registration site for home improvement contractors remains downppIn the releases Sunday called the situation frustrating and thanked both technology staff and law enforcement partners for working around the clock to resolve the matterppThis situation has certainly tested OAG staff and prompted some modifications to our typical routines however we are committed to our duty and mission to protect and represent Pennsylvanians and are confident that mission is being fulfilled Sunday said in the Friday statement You can judge the character of an organization by how it reacts to adversity I am very proud of our staff who continue to work and find ways to overcome these unexpected hurdles to fulfill our duty to the CommonwealthppSpotlight PA asked Sundays office for further clarification on how the attack occurred and whether any sensitive information has been compromised Fridays statement did not answer these questionsppIn response to questions from Spotlight PA an FBI spokesperson said the agency is aware of the incident but has nothing further to provideppPennsylvania is the latest state to have a cyber incident affect its attorney general Earlier this year Virginias state attorney generals office was the victim of a ransomware attack that knocked nearly all its computer systems offline In 2021 the Office of the Illinois Attorney General also suffered a cyberattackppEarlier this year state Sen Kristin PhillipsHill R York introduced a slate of legislation aimed at improving Pennsylvanias cybersecurity preparedness including a bill that would establish a chief information officer to oversee regular system updates data maintenance and other security standards across state agenciesppThese bills will strengthen cybersecurity measures theyll enhance oversight and theyll improve government responsiveness to digital threats PhillipsHill said in a March video introducing the package We cannot afford to be reactive on cybersecurityppPennsylvania faced one such threat in 2017 when a ransomware attack hit the state Senate Democratic caucus locking lawmakers and staff out of their systems The hackers demanded payment in a cryptocurrency amount valued at roughly 30000 according to reporting from the time The caucus declined at the advice of the FBI but ultimately paid more than 700000 to Microsoft to rebuild its systemppMembers of the public looking to contact the attorney generals office can call 717 7873391 or email infoattorneygeneralgov People can still file complaints at attorneygeneralgov but there may be processing delaysppFocus
Pennsylvania State Police Department of Corrections courts judicial systempp
dohlspotlightpaorgpp
DTOhlppWe grant elected officials extraordinary power when we give them our vote which means we must demand extraordinary accountability once they are in office Thats why Spotlight PAs trustworthy unbiased local news is more important than ever and why we need you nowppWere independent and we dont answer to shareholders or a big corporation Were neutral in this polarized time with no political agenda or opinion pieces And were a nonprofit allowing us to prioritize factbased investigative and publicservice reporting for our communityppIf youre looking for a meaningful way to make a difference in these uncertain times I cant think of a better investment than Spotlight PAs unique local reporting for Pennsylvania that gets real resultsppYour taxdeductible support of any amount will ensure our vital work can continuepp Christopher Baxter CEOPresidentppPS If you prefer to mail a check you can send it toppSpotlight PA PO Box 11728 Harrisburg PA 171081728ppSign up for PA Post to understand whats happening across PA in less than five minutes a daypp 2025 Spotlight PA This site is powered by Netlifypppp
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