Pottawatomie County officials are slowly restoring computer systems and machines following a Sept. 17 ransomware attack that encrypted multiple servers.
The county was able to reach a resolution by paying less than 10 percent of the hacker’s original demands. The final settlement wasn’t disclosed.
In a news release Friday, County Administrator Chad Kinsley said the ransom was reduced by “more than 90 percent from the hackers’ original demand, an almost unheard-of outcome, every saved dollar which is taxpayer revenue the county keeps to serve our citizens.”
KMAN has filed an open records request to determine the specific amount paid to the hackers.
Cyber experts say it can often take several weeks to resolve a ransomware attack. This negotiation reportedly took just days.
Pottawatomie County says the IT team has installed additional sensors on all servers to detect and prevent further attacks and is looking into how and where the breach occurred. Staff are working to get some 150 county desktop and laptop computers restored.
Email and driver’s license systems are still down. The Sheriff’s Office and emergency response systems were not impacted.
Pottawatomie County 10-1-2021