Officials Confirm Ransomeware Attack, Say Progress is Being Made to Restore Systems

HERNANDO – Hernando County Government Officials say progress is being made with bringing systems back online after the recent cyberattack, but residents and business owners still have concerns.

The cyberattack that occurred late last month on the Hernando County Government IT network resulted in major interruptions to real estate professionals and others who depend on accessing public records. Residents are also concerned that their private information is being sold to the highest bidder by cybercriminals.

State and federal law enforcement are investigating the attack, but officials are not commenting on the specific details or whether the county has met the hacker's demands. According to some sources, the cybercriminal gang Rhysida has claimed responsibility for the attack and is demanding upwards of $2.8 million to release encrypted data.

County officials released the following statement: "Hernando County became aware of public posts from cyber criminals claiming to have obtained data during the network interruption recently experienced, confirming we were the victim of a ransomware attack. The County is cooperating with state and federal law enforcement and a team of cybersecurity experts to investigate the claims and the full nature and scope of the incident. At this time, we are unable to provide further information regarding the actions of the cyber criminals but we are working diligently to investigate this. Our team is also working around the clock to resolve the interruption and bring our internal and external facing systems back online. We are making steady progress, and the Hernando County website is up to date with current statuses. We understand how challenging this time has been for residents and businesses in Hernando County, and sincerely appreciate your continued patience and cooperation as we investigate and remediate. The safety and wellbeing of our residents is our highest priority, and we are committed to working tirelessly until the interruption is resolved."

R News will continue to report on any new developments.