Multiple courts in California experienced significant disruptions to their phone services due to a ransomware attack this week. The Superior Court of Los Angeles County, the largest trial court in the state, was the primary target of this attack.
What Happened: The ransomware attack occurred last Friday, affecting the phone servers of courts in Shasta, Inyo, San Luis Obispo, Stanislaus, and Colusa counties, which are hosted by the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, reported Associated Press.
The attack has led to the loss of phone, fax, and text reminder services in these courts. For example, the Shasta County courthouse has been functioning without its VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone system since the attack, the report noted, citing Melissa Fowler Bradley, executive officer for Shasta County Superior Court.
Jurors in Shasta County are now being advised to check online for jury duty updates, as the usual phone line for such information is currently unavailable.
The computer system of the Los Angeles County courts was also shut down due to the ransomware attack, leading to the closure of all 36 courthouses in the county on Monday. Although they re-opened on Tuesday, some web pages and remote appearance capabilities for certain proceedings were still inaccessible on Wednesday.
Officials have confirmed that this attack is not related to the recent faulty CrowdStrike software update that caused disruptions worldwide. The phone system is expected to be restored by the weekend, the report stated.
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Why It Matters: This incident is a stark reminder of the increasing threat of ransomware attacks worldwide. In recent years, such attacks have caused significant disruptions in various sectors.
For instance, last month, it was reported that a major cyberattack in Indonesia, purportedly carried out by the ransomware gang, LockBit, affected more than 40 government entities and disrupted operations at major airports for several days.
In 2023, a parliamentary committee in the U.K. warned of a high risk of a ‘catastrophic ransomware attack’ due to the country’s lack of preparedness and insufficient investment in cybersecurity.
The committee raised concerns about the potential disruption of critical national infrastructure, including energy, water supply, transport, healthcare, and telecommunications services.
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