RAPID CITY, S.D. – Pennington County officials have released new information about the cybersecurity incident that disrupted county operations earlier this summer.
According to the county, unauthorized actors gained access to county computer systems on July 4th and deployed ransomware, prompting Information Technology staff to take systems offline to contain the threat and protect public information.
County officials say all departments are now operational, although some public-facing services and systems still face limitations as restoration efforts continue.
Commission Chair Ron Weifenbach says the county was limited in what information it could share during the early stages of the investigation but now wants to provide the public with a clearer understanding of what occurred.
Officials say the county is using lessons learned from the attack to strengthen cybersecurity through additional technology investments, employee training, and enhanced security measures.
Pennington County also thanked state and federal partners, including the FBI, CISA, and the South Dakota National Guard Cyber Incident Response Team, for assisting with the response and recovery efforts.
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