Franklin County says they were the target of an unsuccessful cyber-attack
Franklin County was the target of an unsuccessful cyber-attack on Thursday.
Franklin County’s Information Services team caught the attempted attack early and were able to prevent any breach or loss of data, according to a news release.
It’s unclear what systems or information was being targeted.
The county has notified the Department of Homeland Security, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Secretary of State and other key partners. Franklin County elected leaders and the Franklin County Office of Emergency Management have also been notified.
The county thanked its information services team and local, state and federal agencies for their assistance.
Cyber-attacks against government and municipal agencies have risen drastically in recent years, according to government services software company CivicPlus.
Attacks against government agencies jumped by 95% in the second half of 2022, with bad actors often seeking access to sensitive information or to ransom access back to the agencies.
In 2020, hackers demanded $200,000 from the Port of Kennewick to give back access to their servers. The problem has become so common that many agencies take out insurance in case they are the target of a successful attack.
