A recent ransomware attack in Gloucester County, Va., has compromised residents’ personal information and officials are monitoring its aftermath amid a state and federal investigation.
The county’s Information Technology Department (ITD) detected the incident “on or about April 22,” according to an online update July 2, but staffers quickly secured and restored systems.
The Maine Attorney General’s Data Breach Notifications website has the attack listed as happening April 18 and indicates it affects 3,527 people, including one Maine resident. Law firm Woods Rogers submitted the notice, which shows the county has mailed notification letters to residents.
Comparitech, a pro-consumer website, reported in May the ransomware group BlackSuit, formerly known as Royal, claimed responsibility for the breach. In a statement to the website, County Administrator Carole Steele noted that data was posted to the dark web, but critical operations were unaffected.
“Despite the most up-to-date cybersecurity monitoring and crisis plans, organizations today continue to face similar incidents,” Steele said via email. “We are committed to advancing our cybersecurity resilience in the future.”
She noted that “while we support all law enforcement investigations into this matter, it will not be our place to comment on the status of the investigation or to share details about the criminals responsible for the incident.”
As part of its response, the county notified “outside cybersecurity experts to assist and investigate,” and federal law enforcement as well, including the FBI’s Cyber Crimes Division and the Virginia State Police’s Virginia Fusion Center, the statement said.
Residents in 10 states including Virginia and Maine are impacted according to the county’s update. Gloucester is providing employees with a free credit monitoring option and is advising residents to review their credit reports and financial statements. The county has more than 311,000 residents.
“We deeply respect the trust our staff and neighbors place in our organization, and we don’t take that responsibility lightly,” Steele said in a separate statement. “We’re grateful for our community’s patience as we continue to address this issue.”
