South Carolina County Still Reeling from January Cyber-Attack

South Carolina County Still Reeling from January Cyber-Attack

  • Georgetown County’s network was brought down by cyber-criminals on January 23 in what officials described as a “major infrastructure breach.”
  • Ten days after the attack took place, cybersecurity experts are still working to recover systems and analyze the full extent of the breach, and county emails have not yet been restored.
  • County staff put in extra hours over the weekend to ensure payroll and other essential functions could be finished on time. Authorities said departments such as courts, the treasurer’s office, and the auditor’s office won’t be back online for at least another five days.
  • A September 2019 ransomware attack on Jasper County, South Carolina, took weeks to resolve. Speaking in October 2019, county chairman Tom Johnson said: “Our safeguards and staff responded appropriately. Unfortunately, appropriately means shutting everything down.

– Sarah Coble | February 2, 2021