Personal data exposed in a data breach at the Washington County Courthouse may have been exposed after a data breach in January, and county commissioners are still dealing with the aftermath.
Many court employees told Washington County commissioners they felt their data had been compromised. County leaders say data that may have been stolen could include Social Security numbers, dates of birth, health insurance information and medical information.
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Washington County Commissioner Larry McGee said, “There have been claims of suspicious activity by some of our employees…We don’t know if it’s related to some other hack, but we were concerned. “We decided that we had to take some sort of action.”
The county posted a detailed report on the cyber attack at the top. County website.
County commissioners said they are still working closely with federal investigators. They also closely monitor county systems and networks.
Magee said the county paid to stop the ransomware attack.
“I’m frustrated. 30 years of law enforcement. I don’t do business with criminals,” McGee said.
Commissioners Nick Sherman and Electra Janis disagree. They said they believed that by paying the ransom, they were able to prevent all data from entering the dark web. They also said they feel the county is stronger and better protected from future violations after this incident.
As a precaution, the county is asking employees to closely monitor their bank accounts and credit reports.
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