DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF News ) – Dallas County is investigating a cybersecurity attack that officials said was discovered on October 19th.
In a statement issued Monday, Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins said the county contained the hack and brought in an outside cybersecurity firm to conduct a forensic investigation.
According to the judge, the extent and scope of the impact isn’t clear yet.
“Our foremost priority is the safety and security of our employees, the residents and the public we serve. We have put in place stringent security protocols to safeguard our systems and data and are collaborating closely with our external cybersecurity specialists and law enforcement to address the situation,” said Lewis Jenkins’ statement.
He said the county will update the public once the investigation has been completed.
“As the investigation is still ongoing, we do not want to make premature assumptions about the extent of impact or other details, which may evolve as the forensic investigation advances. We value the trust and credibility we have established with our residents and partners and strive to maintain accuracy in the information we share. The County will provide updates as soon as more information becomes available.”
According to our media partner WFAA TV, a threat analyst not affiliated with the county, said a ransomware cybercrime organization known as “Play” claimed responsibility and is threatening to reveal private county documents this Friday.
Play is responsible for an attack on the City of Oakland earlier this year.
This situation is not the first occurrence in North Texas. In May, the City of Dallas was hit by a ransomware attack that hampered the city’s systems for months and exposed the information connected to more than 30,000 people.
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