Pennsylvania’s state courts agency recently experienced a denial of service cyberattack on its website, resulting in the disabling of some online systems [2] [5]. This incident follows a similar cyberattack on Kansas’ judicial branch a few months ago [2].
Description
Over the weekend [1] [2] [5], Pennsylvania’s state courts agency was targeted by a denial of service cyberattack, which involved flooding the website with traffic to prevent access for legitimate users [2]. As a result, court web systems such as PACFile [4], online docket sheets [2] [4] [5], and the Guardianship Tracking System were affected [4]. However, there is no evidence to suggest that any data was compromised [5], and the courts were able to open as usual on Monday without major disruptions [2]. The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts is currently being investigated by the US Department of Homeland Security and the FBI [2], and the Chief Justice of Pennsylvania has stated that the court’s IT team is working with law enforcement agencies to investigate the incident [3] [4]. While online docket sheets and an electronic case document filing portal were disabled [2] [5], paper court filings were still accepted [2] [5]. Some pages on the website remain unavailable [4], but some services have already been restored [5]. The Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania [4], which operates the state’s judicial system and holds case data [4], will provide more information as it becomes available [4]. It is unclear if the courts’ cybersecurity measures were effective or if any ransom demands were made [2].
Conclusion
This cyberattack has had significant impacts on Pennsylvania’s state courts agency, with online systems being disabled and certain services remaining unavailable. However, the courts were able to continue operating and paper court filings were still accepted. The investigation by the US Department of Homeland Security and the FBI [2] [5], along with the collaboration between the court’s IT team and law enforcement agencies, will help determine the effectiveness of the courts’ cybersecurity measures and uncover any potential ransom demands. This incident highlights the ongoing threat of cyberattacks on judicial systems and the need for robust security measures to protect sensitive data.
References
[1] https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/pennsylvania-statewide-court-agencys-website-hit-by-disabling-cyberattack/
[2] https://apnews.com/article/cyberattack-pennsylvania-courts-hackers-cybersecurity-187de27a9d4eab485b56a65e869bf298
[3] https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/pennsylvania-courts-cyber-attack/
[4] https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/pennsylvania-courts-website-dos/
[5] https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/cyberattack-pennsylvania-courts-compromise-data-officials-106969974
