A cyber intrusion has caused widespread outages in court systems across the state of Washington this week, prompting concerns and disruptions in various counties and municipal courts. The Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) informed state residents about unauthorized activity on the Washington Courts network, leading to impacts on courts in Thurston, Monroe, Renton, Puyallup, Bainbridge, King, Pierce, Whatcom, and Lewis counties, as well as municipal courts in several cities.
The AOC took immediate action to secure critical systems and is actively working to restore services. However, they cautioned that there may be intermittent impacts on the accessibility of public websites and systems in the coming days. As of Wednesday afternoon, the AOC website remained inaccessible, raising concerns about the extent of the cyber intrusion.
While the AOC did not confirm whether the incident involved a ransomware attack, several county court systems reported issues stemming from the technology outages. Pierce County Superior Court reassured the public that they did not anticipate any significant impact and continued to operate normally on Monday. However, other courts faced challenges with electronic filing systems, phone systems, and platforms used for fine payments.
Thurston County District Court announced that individuals with scheduled infraction hearings would receive new court dates without the need to appear in person. Wendy Ferrell, associate director for the AOC, indicated to the Seattle Times that there was no evidence of a targeted attack, although specifics about the cause of the outages were not disclosed.
This cyber incident in Washington follows a similar pattern seen in California’s San Joaquin County Superior Court, where digital services were disrupted due to a cyberattack. Additionally, court systems in Pennsylvania, Florida, Louisiana, California, Ohio, Nebraska, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois have all faced various cyber threats over the past year, leading to data leaks, ransomware incidents, or denial-of-service attacks.
Washington state has been particularly susceptible to ransomware attacks in recent years, with prominent institutions such as school districts, cancer centers, transportation departments, and the Port of Seattle experiencing significant disruptions. These incidents highlight the growing threat of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and emphasize the importance of implementing robust cybersecurity measures to safeguard against potential intrusions. The ongoing challenges faced by court systems in Washington underscore the need for vigilance and proactive cybersecurity strategies to mitigate future risks to essential services.