A sweeping data outage has disrupted court operations across Washington state since Sunday following the detection of “unauthorized activity” on critical networks. The incident, affecting judicial information systems and public websites, has left state courts grappling to restore online services and resume full functionality.
According to officials, the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) responded swiftly to secure affected systems, prioritizing the integrity of the state’s judicial infrastructure. In a statement initially reported by the Seattle Times, AOC associate director Wendy Ferrell underscored the proactive steps taken: “In an abundance of caution, we took our systems offline to secure them. We are working around the clock with leading cybersecurity experts to restore services as quickly as possible.”
The disruption is impacting courts of various jurisdictions differently. Some municipal and district courts, including those in Bainbridge Island, Monroe, Puyallup, Milton, and Thurston County, are operating with limited services. However, Pierce County Superior Court has managed to maintain partial online functionality, reporting that service interruptions are minimal. “The Pierce County Clerk of Superior Court’s Office is experiencing interruptions due to unauthorized activity detected on the Washington Courts network,” a spokesperson stated. “The AOC has taken immediate action to secure systems and is actively working to safely restore services.”
In-person operations and most court proceedings continue with minimal impact, though officials are advising the public to call ahead to confirm service availability. Customer service counters are open, and critical court functions remain operational as staff adapt to the system limitations.
Despite these efforts, some services, such as access to judgment balance information and electronic court records, are temporarily suspended. Pierce County officials have indicated these “service modifications” may persist through the week as efforts continue to stabilize systems and safeguard sensitive court data.
This incident draws parallels to a 2023 cyberattack on Kansas’ judicial systems, where hackers breached confidential files and forced the Kansas Courts Authority to take its eFiling, case management, and electronic payment systems offline. Though that breach exhibited hallmarks of a ransomware attack, no group claimed responsibility, and the state’s judicial processes were severely disrupted for weeks.
Washington state’s current efforts to restore systems reflect a growing trend of heightened security vigilance across state and federal court systems in response to increasing cyber threats. While officials work diligently to restore stability, this latest incident underscores the challenges facing public sector entities as they confront the evolving landscape of cyber vulnerabilities.
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