Qilin ransomware attack shut Cleveland Municipal Court for over three weeks

The Cleveland Municipal Court said it continues to strive towards recovering from a significant cyber security incident, nearly three weeks after the incident took place.

 

In a social media post on March 3, the Cleveland Municipal Court said that it identified a data security incident that affected its internal network. Officials quickly launched an investigation, with assistance from external cyber security experts, to determine the nature and scope of the incident.

 

“As a precautionary measure, the Court has shut down the affected systems while we focus on securing and restoring services safely. These systems will remain offline until we have a better understanding of the situation.

 

“All internal systems and software platforms will be shut down until further notice. The Cleveland Municipal Court will be closed, except for essential staff, and normal business will not be conducted with the public until further notice,” reads the post.

 

Recently, local media outlet ABC5 quoted a court employee to state that about three weeks after the incident occurred, officials are still without internet access and are forced to perform many tasks manually. The employee added that the court is still in the process of updating its systems with new security features and passwords.

 

This has significantly delayed official tasks, including background checks since the attack began on February 23. At the time of publishing, the Cleveland Municipal Court’s official website was still offline.

 

Recently, the Qilin ransomware group claimed responsibility for the cyber attack on Cleveland Municipal Court and listed it as a victim on its data leak site.

 

 

The ransomware group did not share details on how much data it stole from the court’s systems or if it has demanded a ransom. Court officials also did not comment on how the threat actors infiltrated its internal network or if the court had received a ransom demand.