Security News > 2020 > May > Ransomware Forces Shutdown of Texas Judiciary Network
Texas revealed on Monday that a ransomware attack has forced the shutdown of its judicial branch network, including websites and servers.
In a notice shared on Twitter, the Office of Court Administration, which provides IT services to appellate courts and state judicial agencies, revealed that the attack was discovered on Friday morning, and that the network was taken down to prevent further compromise.
"The attack began during the overnight hours and was first discovered in the early morning hours on Friday. The attack is unrelated to the courts' migration to remote hearings amid the coronavirus pandemic," the notice reads.
OCA said it was able to "Catch" the ransomware and limit its impact, but will keep the branch network offline until the breach is remediated.
OCA also explains that most of the Texas judicial branch entities it provides services to have moved many IT functions to the cloud, and that these were not affected by the attack.