(TNS) — Winona County paid ransomware attackers nearly $130,000 to restore services in the first of two separate hacking events earlier this year.
The payment was completed with the assistance of the county’s insurance carrier, according to county officials, and was negotiated “to ensure a full and efficient resumption of County services and protection of personal information.”
The payment resolved a cyber attack that affected numerous county systems in January.
The county stated in a press release its decision to make the payment came after “careful consideration and guidance from our cybersecurity team.”
“Although making the payment in connection with the January incident was a difficult choice, we determined it was the necessary approach to best serve the interests of Winona County residents and employees,” the release states.
People known to have been impacted by the attack, which was first discovered on the county’s computer network Jan. 22, were notified in May.
A second ransomware attack targeting county networks was discovered in April. That incident remains under investigation. County officials have said they are continuing to review the data to figure out what information may have been compromised and who was affected.
The county plans to notify people affected by letter and said it would offer credit and personal information monitoring services to those whose Social Security numbers or driver’s license data were compromised.
County officials have maintained the second attack was “separate and unrelated” to the first.
“While Winona County has invested in the security of its digital data and computer network, these incidents have shown that sophisticated criminal actors continue to pose an on-going threat to all computer network systems,” the county stated Thursday. “The Commissioners assure the citizens of Winona County that aggressive measures have been and will continue to be taken to minimize the risk of a similar event occurring again in Winona County. The Commissioners extend their appreciation to their fellow elected officials and the public for their support and patience during this incident.”
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