Following a cybersecurity attack on Saturday, the Alaska Court System has temporarily removed most of its operations from the internet, including its website and the ability to look up court records.
Officials said the attack halted electronic court filings, delayed online payments, and prevented videoconference hearings for several days.
“I believe there will be some inconveniences for a few days, such as trials being cancelled or judges deciding to move from videoconference to teleconference proceedings or the like. The Alaska Supreme Court Chief Justice Joel Bolger told the Anchorage Daily News, “We don’t have any of that worked out yet.”
In a written statement, the court system stated that it is working to remove malware from its servers.
“At this time, the court system does not believe any sensitive court records or employee information has been compromised,” according to the release, “but will immediately alert any affected persons if this occurs.” “There was no compromise of consumer credit card information.”
The court system announced on Facebook and Twitter on Sunday that all in-custody arraignments would take place as planned.
The posts said, “Local courts have reached out to justice partners to let them know of any changes.”
Court officials discovered “anomalies in some servers and personal computers” on Thursday, according to Bolger, and hired a specialist on Friday. The specialist told the department, according to Bolger, that there seemed to be several attempts to hack into the computer system.
It wasn’t clear whether the malware was looking for details or money right away.
“I believe we caught this at an early point. I’m not sure what the actors’ motivations were,” Bolger said, refusing to say how the anomalies were found but claiming that only a “handful” of around 3,000 computers were affected.
The phone numbers for the courthouses are still active. The extent of the damage, according to Bolger, could take several days to decide.
