Kansas court officials confirm details of evil criminal international cyberattack Kansas Reflector

p Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert and the six associate justices issued a statement Tuesday that said the Oct 12 information system attack was perpetrated by sophisticated foreign criminals who stole information and threatened to post it to the dark web if demands werent met Pool photo by Evert NelsonTopeka CapitalJournalppTOPEKA Foreign cybercriminals launched the attack on the Kansas judicial branchs information system in October and stole records of appellate cases and judicial administration files potentially regarded as confidential under state law officials said TuesdayppJustices of the Kansas Supreme Court issued a joint statement confirming perpetrators stole data and threatened to post it to a dark website if their demands were not met The release didnt say whether the judicial branch complied with demands of the attackers nor did it disclose whether evidence existed Kansas court information was forwarded to secretive illicit portions of the webppThis assault on the Kansas system of justice is evil and criminal the justices said We express our deep sorrow that Kansans will suffer at the hands of these cybercriminalsppThe release said the judicial branch was the victim of a sophisticated foreign cyberattack and ongoing work by experts would identify the scope of personal information stolen Once the assessment was completed court officials said individuals directly touched by the breach would be contactedppA full review of what may have been stolen is a high priority but it will take time the justices statement said This attack on one of our three branches of government was made against all KansansppThe statement said the judicial branch was working with computer specialists to buttress judicial branch information systems to defend against comparable attacksppIn wake of the Oct 12 incursion district court information systems in 104 of the states 105 counties were shut down Johnson County was immune from this attack because the populous county operated a standalone computer information systemppNetworks used by the Kansas Court of Appeals and Kansas Supreme Court were invaded and locked downppAttorneys and judges have had to rely on manual filing of court documents rather than typical electronic filing Eventually the judicial branch set up a location at the Kansas Judicial Center in Topeka to allow public access to court documentsppIt will likely take several weeks to return safely to normal operations including electronic filing but we will do so the statement saidppSince the breach was reported more than five weeks ago the judicial branch had released little information about what was assumed to be a criminal attack associated with extortionppCyberattacks on government entities are rampant the justices statement said Cybercrime is a persistent and serious threat to our democratic institutionsppThe justices said their decisions in wake of the assault were guided by foundational values including dedication to upholding the rule of lawppBy adhering to those values at this profoundly trying time the statement said we seek to demonstrate that no malicious element is more powerful than the rule of law and the institutions that abide by itppby Tim Carpenter Kansas Reflector November 21 2023ppby Tim Carpenter Kansas Reflector November 21 2023ppTOPEKA Foreign cybercriminals launched the attack on the Kansas judicial branchs information system in October and stole records of appellate cases and judicial administration files potentially regarded as confidential under state law officials said TuesdayppJustices of the Kansas Supreme Court issued a joint statement confirming perpetrators stole data and threatened to post it to a dark website if their demands were not met The release didnt say whether the judicial branch complied with demands of the attackers nor did it disclose whether evidence existed Kansas court information was forwarded to secretive illicit portions of the webppThis assault on the Kansas system of justice is evil and criminal the justices said We express our deep sorrow that Kansans will suffer at the hands of these cybercriminalsppThe release said the judicial branch was the victim of a sophisticated foreign cyberattack and ongoing work by experts would identify the scope of personal information stolen Once the assessment was completed court officials said individuals directly touched by the breach would be contactedppA full review of what may have been stolen is a high priority but it will take time the justices statement said This attack on one of our three branches of government was made against all KansansppThe statement said the judicial branch was working with computer specialists to buttress judicial branch information systems to defend against comparable attacksppIn wake of the Oct 12 incursion district court information systems in 104 of the states 105 counties were shut down Johnson County was immune from this attack because the populous county operated a standalone computer information systemppNetworks used by the Kansas Court of Appeals and Kansas Supreme Court were invaded and locked downppAttorneys and judges have had to rely on manual filing of court documents rather than typical electronic filing Eventually the judicial branch set up a location at the Kansas Judicial Center in Topeka to allow public access to court documentsppIt will likely take several weeks to return safely to normal operations including electronic filing but we will do so the statement saidppSince the breach was reported more than five weeks ago the judicial branch had released little information about what was assumed to be a criminal attack associated with extortionppCyberattacks on government entities are rampant the justices statement said Cybercrime is a persistent and serious threat to our democratic institutionsppThe justices said their decisions in wake of the assault were guided by foundational values including dedication to upholding the rule of lawppBy adhering to those values at this profoundly trying time the statement said we seek to demonstrate that no malicious element is more powerful than the rule of law and the institutions that abide by itppKansas Reflector is part of States Newsroom a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c3 public charity Kansas Reflector maintains editorial independence Contact Editor Sherman Smith for questions infokansasreflectorcom Follow Kansas Reflector on Facebook and TwitterppOur stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BYNCND 40 We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten provide proper attribution and link to our web site Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphicsppTim Carpenter has reported on Kansas for 35 years He covered the Capitol for 16 years at the Topeka CapitalJournal and previously worked for the Lawrence JournalWorld and United Press InternationalppDEMOCRACY TOOLKITpp Kansas Reflector 2023pp Kansas Reflector is a nonprofit news operation providing indepth reporting diverse opinions and daily coverage of state government and politics This public service is free to readers and other news outletsppDEIJ Policy Ethics Policy Privacy PolicyppOur stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BYNCND 40 We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten provide proper attribution and link to our web sitep