The Kansas Supreme Court has initiated a transition to paper-based operations as they investigate a ransomware attack that has disrupted their electronic filing system.
The Kansas Court cyberattack has impacted the court systems, leading to an ongoing investigation. Despite the ransomware attack, the courts are committed to remaining open and maintaining their operations.
However, the filing of the documents will be done manually on paper. Judge Phil Journey confirmed the unauthorized intrusion, necessitating the shift to traditional paper-based processes for at least two weeks.
Sedgwick County Court remains operational but anticipates delays. Judge Phil also noted that, during this period, online submission of applications and court motion filings will not be available, a KAKE report stated.
Details About the Kansas Supreme Court Ransomware Attack
Certain operations have been affected due to the Kansas Court ransomware attack. However, no hacking group has claimed responsibility for the same on their dark web channels like they often do during or after failed negotiations.
The no-show could be a result of ongoing ransom negotiations of the hackers with the Kansas Supreme Court authorities. However, confirmation of this aspect remains uncertain.
Addressing the changes to the operations the court order read, “Courts will accept paper filings and filings by fax. Fax filings cannot be accepted if payment is required.”
Online payments including credit cards and other electronic transactions were halted due to the ongoing Kansas Court cyberattack.
The Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and district courts in all counties were affected by the Kansas Court cyberattack. However, Johnson County was safe from any implications or effects of the security incident.
Addressing the same, the Kansas court order read, “Johnson County currently operates on an efiling and case management system used only by that county.”
Impacted Systems After the Kansas Court Cyberattack
The court order signed by Marla Luckert, Chief Justice, on October 12, 2023, stated that the delayed operations due to the network issue were to continue through October 15, 2023. The following services were marked as having issues after the Kansas Court cyberattack –
- Kansas District Court Public Access portal that allows searching of district court cases.
- Appellate Case Inquiry System that contains the respective case details.
- Kansas Attorney Registration that shares details about attorneys by name, or bar number.
- Kansas online marriage license applications
- Central payment center in the Office of Judicial Administration
- Kansas eCourt case management system that helps process cases.
- Kansas Protection Order Portal for filing of documents.
- Kansas Court eFiling taking electronically filed documents.
Addressing the grave nature of the Kansas Court cyberattack and how the courts must remain transparent, Chief Justice Marla Lucker said in a statement to the Kansas Judicial Branch, “It’s an appropriate next step in a situation like this to define the extent to which our systems are affected.”
“We’ve called in experts to continue that process, and I’m grateful for the number of people who have reached out to us with offers of support,” Marla Luckert concluded.
The website of the Kansas Courts states that all Kansas-licensed attorneys who practice law under the Supreme Court Rule must file documents electronically in the state courts.
However, the court has made an exception during the dire crisis in the face of the Kansas Court ransomware attack.
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