Winona County has acknowledged paying more than 128-thousand dollars following a January ransomware attack.
County commissioners say the payment was negotiated with assistance from the county’s insurance carrier. Officials determined it was necessary to protect private information and fully restore county services.
The county detected the ransomware January 22nd. Investigators found criminals had accessed the network for several days and stolen data containing names, Social Security numbers, medical information, financial records and other personal information.
Notification letters were mailed to affected people beginning in May.
Officials say a second ransomware attack discovered in April was unrelated. The investigation into that incident remains underway.
