ANDERSON – It won’t be quite business as usual Monday as county government workers head back to their posts at the Madison County Government Center amid a ransomware attack on county computers.
County Commissioner Jeff Hardin said not much has changed in either the investigation, the payment of a ransom or the restoration of the county’s computer systems after the system was reported locked on Friday morning.
“Everything’s pretty much shut down,” he said Sunday. “We’re planning on folks being at work, but we’re letting the officeholders and the deputies make the decision on what they want to do.”
Indiana State Police continue to be the lead investigators on the case, according to Capt. David Burspen, ISP chief public information officer.
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that prevents access to computers by its rightful users through file encryption until a specified amount of money is paid. County commissioners met in an emergency session on Saturday in which they unanimously authorized payment of the ransom.
County officials would not divulge the amount of the ransom, but Hardin confirmed they have been given seven days to pay it.
That means almost all county government agencies are likely to be prevented from serving the public efficiently, Hardin said.
However, voting records and ballots are not affected because they are housed on a separate system, he added.