Superior Court of Los Angeles County Shuts Down Following Ransomware Attack

The Superior Court of Los Angeles County decided to close all courthouse locations on July 22, 2024 due to a ransomware attack. A total of 36 courthouses were shut down to address the aftermath of the attack and restore systems.

Commenting on the situation, Erich Kron, Security Awareness Advocate at KnowBe4, mentioned, “Unfortunately, bad actors in the ransomware space don’t discriminate in their targets. Disruptions like this in the judicial system, which is crucial to the American government, can have a detrimental impact on the public and legal community. Limited budgets for cybersecurity and IT services in government entities often leave them vulnerable to skilled adversaries. The attack, coupled with the largest global IT outage on record, added significant pressure on IT and cybersecurity resources, making the response even more challenging than usual.”

While the court affirms its commitment to securing sensitive data, it has not disclosed if any information was compromised during the attack.

Kron explained, “Modern ransomware attacks often involve data exfiltration, raising concerns about the exposure of sensitive information in this incident.”

The court is currently focused on recovering from the attack.

Kron emphasized the importance of prioritizing cybersecurity measures with limited budgets, highlighting the significance of employee education and promoting a strong security culture to mitigate risks effectively. Encouraging employees to identify and report potential social engineering attacks promptly is crucial. Additionally, educating employees on the dangers of password reuse across different systems can help prevent credential stuffing attacks, like the recent RockYou2024 credential dump that exposed over 10 billion credential pairs.”