The intrusion into Delaware County’s network systems in late June — disrupting services for county residents — was part of “sophisticated cybercriminal attack.”
Several attempts for unauthorized access were blocked by county infrastructure, but hackers were able to gain “limited access to the County’s network and to access data maintained within the network,” the county government said in a news release Friday.
The county says it shut down its networks after the June 26 attack to safeguard county data, systems, and other sensitive information, but officials are still investigating the extent of the breach in tandem with cybersecurity experts.
The county’s internal networks are now up and running, and Delco said it is working to reinstate external-facing county services in the coming days.
Soon after the intrusion, residents felt the impact to daily county services, such as completing routine procedures at the courthouse.
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The county first confirmed the hack to the general public on July 2.
“It is unfortunate that this attack has impacted services to residents, and we appreciate their patience and understanding,” the county said Friday. “We must ensure the safety of our network and data before full restoration of services.”
The incident marks the second time in roughly six years where the county’s systems have been breached. In November 2020, Delaware County was hit by a ransomware attack via a phishing email. Hackers stole sensitive information and the county ended up having to pay $25,000 to resolve the issue.
Delaware County says since that 2020 incident that “substantial protections” have been put in place.
“Those protections proved valuable in this instance, as numerous attempts to establish a larger intrusion into County systems were repeatedly blocked, greatly limiting the extent of the interference,” the county said.