July 22, 2024 at 01:26PM
The Los Angeles County Superior Court, the largest in America, closed all 36 courthouses due to an “unprecedented” ransomware attack, which bricked every electronic platform containing court data. Court employees and infosec experts are working to restore court servers and databases, aiming to reopen on Tuesday, following the need to contain the damage and ensure network stability and security.
Following the ransomware attack on Friday, the Los Angeles County Superior Court has closed all 36 of its courthouses. The attack has affected every electronic platform containing court data, internal and external court systems, and all internet-connected devices. Since then, court employees and information security experts have been working continuously to reconfigure and restore court servers and databases. The extent of the network intrusion is still being assessed. Due to ongoing obstacles, it is impossible for judges and court personnel to conduct proceedings on July 22, 2024. The decision to close all locations was made on Sunday night, with the expectation to reopen on Tuesday. Presiding Judge Samantha P Jessner stated that the cyberattack resulted in the need to shut down nearly all network systems to contain the damage and protect the integrity and confidentiality of information. The court is swiftly moving towards a restoration and recovery phase, with critical systems remaining offline as of Sunday evening. One additional day will allow the court’s team of experts to focus on bringing the systems back online to resume operations smoothly and safely. The network disruption is also unrelated to the CrowdStrike fiasco that occurred on Friday.