The Kansas judicial branch, victim of a “sophisticated foreign cyberattack”, anticipates it will restore most of its information systems to district courts in over 100 counties by year’s end. The attack, which has left its e-filing system offline since mid-October, was recently confirmed by judicial authorities. They had previously described an October “security incident” which had disrupted access to court systems.
This cyberattack temporarily incapacitated the information systems for the state appellate courts and district courts in a total of 104 counties, as per a press release on the judicial branch’s website. The attack also resulted in the theft of multiple information including Office of Judicial Administration files, district court case records on appeal and other possibly confidential data.
The Kansas Supreme Court recently said in a statement, “Based on our preliminary review, it appears the stolen information includes Office of Judicial Administration files, district court case records on appeal, and other data, some of which may be confidential under law. A full review of what may have been stolen is a high priority to us but it will take time. Once this review is complete, we will notify those affected.”
As yet, no specific information has been released about the identity of the attackers or where they might be based. The return to full online functionality will be a welcome development for Kansas’s judicial community as it works to mitigate the fallout from this substantial Information Technology incident.