FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — County officials told reporters on Wednesday that the Fulton County cybersecurity incident stemmed from a ransomware attack that was motivated by financial gain.
The update was provided at a news conference at the county Government Center’s Assembly Hall. The incident was first reported towards the end of January, impacting the county’s systems for weeks.
Fulton County Board of Commissioners Chairman Robb Pitts added officials received a report that Fulton County was listed as a victim on the cybercriminal's dark website and allegedly posted screenshots of information they accessed. Pitts said they are currently investigating whether that is true.
"Unfortunately, incidents like these are on the rise across the country and happening around the world, particularly in local governments," he said.
The latest information comes amid growing concerns from attorneys and residents that the incident caused a number of services to be knocked offline.
Although some of the county’s systems are operating as normal, some of their systems are still taking a moment to get back online. Pitts told reporters on Wednesday that a third of their phones were back online with some systems still not able to accept online applications and other material.
Last week, multiple attorneys expressed their growing concerns about the future of his Fulton County cases because the incident is making it difficult to get things done in a court that’s already the busiest in the state.
“We are stuck in quicksand because of our immense reliance on the automated paperless system that’s been developed, ostensibly to increase systemwide efficiencies,” criminal defense attorney Joshua Schiffer previously said. “When we can’t represent our clients by making requests, the state can’t respond to them. That grinds our entire system to a halt.”
A Georgia associate broker also told 11Alive a week ago that he could not run a title for a home he was trying to sell by the deadline of his contract.
FBI Atlanta previously said the agency is aware of the issue and has been in contact with Fulton County IT. A cybersecurity expert previously said these situations could take “weeks to months” to resolve.
It is currently unclear where the investigation into the incident stands and if anyone will be held accountable.
Re-watch the full news conference below.