Pottawatomie County’s computer systems are being restored after a ransomware attack on Sept. 17, according to county officials.
According to County Administrator Chad Kinsley, the county settled the attack by paying less than 10% of the hackers’ original demands.
WIBW-TV reported that the eastern Kansas county did not reveal the amount it paid.
Kinsley explained, “We are a small county with limited resources.” “Given the enormous expectations that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on local governments like ours, we wanted to make sure the hackers understood that there was no way we could even come close to matching their demands.”
To prevent similar attacks, technical staff have installed more sensors on all servers. The inquiry into how the hackers got into the system is still underway.
The county’s team is attempting to restore roughly 150 computers, which can take up to eight hours per machine, according to the county.
According to the statement, most county offices are open and operational, however wait times for some services may be higher than usual.
The county’s email and driver’s licence services are still down, although those systems are not managed by the county.
