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Clay County in Indiana has filed a Local Disaster Declaration after a ransomware attack caused disruptions to “critical services”.
Days after it fell victim to a ransomware attack, Clay County of the US state of Indiana has filed a Local Disaster Declaration.
The initial attack occurred on 9 July, with Clay Country announcing on 10 July that “Clay County Courthouse operations will remain temporarily suspended due to the ongoing investigation and mitigation efforts”.
“Upon discovering the attack, county officials immediately took mitigation efforts to prevent further damage and protect sensitive data. We are working closely with leading cyber security experts and federal authorities to resolve the situation and ensure the security of our digital infrastructure,” Clay County commissioners said in a press release provided to local media outlet The Brazil Times.
At the time, Clay County Courthouse operations were “temporarily suspended” following the incident.
However, on 11 July, Clay County announced that “ongoing office disruptions at the Clay County Courthouse and Clay County Probation/Community Corrections” were so severe that it was necessary to file the disaster declaration.
“Clay County local government suffered a significant ransomware attack in the early morning hours of July 9, 2024,” the Clay County Emergency Management Agency said in the filing. “This has resulted in an inability to provide critical services required for the daily operation of all offices of the Clay County Courthouse, Community Corrections, and Clay County Probation.”
“Now, therefore, we, the Clay County Board of Commissioners, declare that a local disaster emergency exists in the county and that we hereby invoke and declare those portions of the Indiana Code which are applicable to the conditions and have caused the issuance of this proclamation, to be in full force and effect in the county for the exercise of all necessary emergency authority for protection of the lives and property of the lives and property of the people of Clay County and the restoration of the local government with a minimum of interruption.”
The Local Disaster Declaration will be in effect for seven days. The Clay County government website remains down, but its 911 line remains in operation.
As of writing, no threat actor has taken responsibility for the ransomware attack.
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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