Fannin County systems attacked by Ransomware

FANNIN COUNTY, Ga. – Fannin County is responding to their systems being attacked by Ransomware that was discovered last week.

“Ransomware is a form of malware designed to encrypt files on a device, rendering any files and the systems that rely on them unusable. Malicious actors then demand ransom in exchange for decryption,” According to stopransomware.gov.

Initially, the attack was reported by Dana Chastain, the clerk of Superior Court for Fannin County and later confirmed by Jamie Hensley, Chairman of Fannin County Board of Commissioners.

The total impact of the attack is still being processed but so far, the Board of Commissioners have stated that computer systems are down and government business is impacted.

Fannin County Board of Commissioners released a statement on the matter and assured that they are working ‘around the clock’ to resolve this issue.

“We are also working with nationally recognized third-party cybersecurity consultants to assist us. We continue to actively monitor the situation and have notified the FBI of the incident. The safety and security of our community and our employees remains our top priority,” according to the statement.

Essential services such as 9-1-1 operations and emergency communication remain intact.

Update:

FYN spoke with a representative for Chairman Hensley that said they are still working through all the issues but they currently have all systems back up and operating under a different network.

The representative stated that he was unsure why the hackers targeted Fannin County specifically but it looks as though the hackers tend to go after government networks.

The group behind the attack is still being investigated but it looks as though it came from another country.

He stated that that Fannin County is still working through the investigation and that they hope to have more details by Friday.

Emma Dunn