The Office of Court Administration announced Monday that a ransomware attack on Friday, May 8 caused it to disable its branch network, including websites and servers, to deal with the attack and prevent further harm. A statement on the security breach reports the network will remain disabled until the breach is remediated.
In the meantime a temporary website—Txcourts.gov—has been established with critical judicial branch information, including guidance concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.
OCA reports several of its IT functions in recent years have moved to the cloud and were not impacted by the attack. These services include eFileTexas (for filing documents) and re:SearchTX (for reviewing documents). Due to the IT structure of state judiciary, individual trial court networks are unaffected, the OCA reports.
According to the OCA statement: “At this time there is no indication that any sensitive information, including personal information, was compromised.”
The agency also reports it is working with law enforcement to investigate the incident, was able to limit the attack’s impact, and will not pay any ransom.
