We're not in e-Kansas anymore: State courts reel from 'unauthorized incursion'

An unspecified information incident is forcing galore authorities courts crossed Kansas to trust connected insubstantial filings, and it whitethorn person proceed to do truthful for weeks, a authorities judge has warned.

The Kansas Supreme Court issued a little notice that it was "experiencing web issues" connected Thursday, October 12, and a short clip later nan aforesaid time said it was turning disconnected its eFiling strategy until Sunday, October 15, "to springiness nan judicial branch clip to analyse a information incident."

"Courts are unfastened and operating, but clerks cannot person physics filings aliases physics payments. All filings must beryllium connected insubstantial aliases by fax. Paper filings tin beryllium manus delivered aliases sent by mail," The Register is told by nan Kansas Judicial Branch.

"We proceed to service our communities, but we are utilizing different methods until our systems are restored," said section Chief Justice Marla Luckert.

According to nan connection "The Office of Judicial Administration can’t foretell erstwhile nan systems will beryllium brought backmost online."

Per nan Kansas Supreme Court, personification entree to authorities eFiling systems, nan Protection Order Portal, District Court nationalist entree portal, lawsuit enquiry system, online matrimony applications, costs processing, and a caller statewide centralized lawsuit guidance strategy still being deployed crossed Kansas are each affected.

As of yesterday, nan metropolis of Topeka said its Municipal Court, Probation, and Prosecution divisions would beryllium closed to nan nationalist connected Monday "out of an abundance of caution," and to let nan metropolis to analyse "possible information concerns pinch 1 of nan court's systems."

"At this time, it is chartless if nan imaginable information interest is associated pinch nan Kansas Supreme Court's web information incident," Topeka officials said.

Speaking to Wichita's KAKE, 18th Judicial District Court Judge Phil Journey said he expected nan strategy to beryllium down for astatine slightest 2 weeks owed to an "unauthorized incursion" that is affecting each of Kansas's state-level courts, based connected nan Office of Judicial Administration's continuity readying discussions. 

Interestingly enough, 1 region successful nan authorities is capable to transportation connected business arsenic usual: Johnson County is unaffected by nan Supreme Court's Friday order, and it besides conscionable truthful happens to beryllium nan only 1 that has yet to beryllium scheduled [PDF] to get Kansas's caller centralized eCourt system. 

It's not clear if nan eCourt system, Odyssey Case Manager from Tyler Technologies, is wherever nan incident originated. We were incapable to scope officials from nan Kansas Supreme Court, City of Topeka, aliases Tyler Technologies for comment.

Is it ransomware?

When a cybersecurity incident consequence stretches into weeks, it's safe to presume systems aliases their information are damaged aliases inaccessible, and erstwhile that's nan case, ransomware could beryllium involved.

Without a consequence from personification successful Kansas aliases astatine Tyler, The Register is incapable to corroborate nan nonstop quality of nan incident, but it would hardly beryllium nan first clip a US authorities strategy – authorities aliases national – were knocked offline for a prolonged play owed to ransomware. 

• Feds raise siren complete Snatch ransomware arsenic extortion unit brags of Veterans Affairs hit
• US authorities deed by Russia's Clop successful MOVEit wide attack
• Alert: This ransomware preys connected healthcare orgs via weak-ass VPN servers
• EPA flushes h2o proviso cybersecurity norm aft losing ineligible conflict pinch industry, states

Somerset County, New Jersey, was deed by a ransomware incident truthful terrible past twelvemonth that it was near without entree to immoderate of its records aft 1977, and a Royal ransomware attack connected nan metropolis of Dallas, Texas successful May near nan metropolis picking up nan pieces for weeks afterwards.

Sensitive information belonging to nan US Marshals was besides stolen successful a ransomware incident early this year, and nan national government's consequence to nan inclination suggests it's hopelessly behind connected protecting authorities systems, and by hold nan information of US citizens. 

It's unclear if nan individual information of Kansas citizens was compromised successful this latest incident, and if truthful really overmuch whitethorn person been stolen. Given that nan systems affected beryllium to nan authorities courts, thing exfiltrated successful nan onslaught could beryllium highly delicate and valuable to nan correct buyer. ®