Fulton County, Georgia, the state's largest county, is still in the process of repairing the damage caused by a cyberattack that occurred in late January. The ransomware syndicate LockBit claimed responsibility for the attack, which disrupted government services and threatened to release sensitive data unless a ransom was paid.
The hackers targeted the county's systems, causing phone lines to go down and preventing clerks from issuing vehicle registrations and marriage licenses. They also claimed to have stolen data related to a pending criminal case against former President Donald Trump.
Law enforcement agencies in Europe and the U.S. recently disrupted LockBit's operations, leading to the arrest of two individuals. Despite renewed threats from the hackers, no data has been released following the passing of their deadline, and county officials have refused to pay any ransom.
While the cyberattack affected courthouse services, the case against Trump remained unaffected, as the related materials were stored in a separate secure system. Experts believe that LockBit may be nearing its end as a ransomware syndicate, but caution that it could re-emerge under a new name with the same core members.
County officials are working diligently to restore phone service and online systems that are still down over a month later. Although some progress has been made, challenges remain in fully recovering all systems. Residents have faced disruptions in accessing services such as paying utility bills online and obtaining official documents.
The incident serves as a reminder of the ongoing threat posed by ransomware attacks and the importance of robust cybersecurity measures to protect critical infrastructure and sensitive data.
