The Virginia Attorney General’s Office has been targeted in a cyberattack that has taken down nearly all of its systems. In a notification to staff, Chief Deputy Attorney General Steven Popps explained that crucial services, including Net Docs, Outlook, Teams, OAG Fileshare, VPN access, and internet connectivity, were offline. Popps assured the staff that the team was actively working to resolve the issue and that the office had already notified the Virginia State Police and the Virginia Fusion Center, who are now investigating the attack.
IT staff at the Attorney General’s office believe the attack was detected early, and they are optimistic that the damage caused is minimal. At this stage, there is no indication that the cyberattack is related to ransomware, in contrast to the 2021 attack that affected the Illinois Attorney General’s office. During that incident, recovery took several weeks, but the current focus is on getting systems back online as soon as possible, while law enforcement investigates the source of the attack.
The office’s staff has experienced an increase in cyberattacks since Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares was added to a list by the Russian government in 2023, barring him from entering the country.
This has raised concerns that the attack could be linked to political tensions. Despite the current challenges, the office has maintained communication with the Virginia Supreme Court and the Court of Appeals, both of which have made provisions for paper filings and documents through a “basket” system.
The temporary basket system, which allows paper pleadings and printed orders to be processed at court clerk’s offices, will be used until the office can restore its digital infrastructure. This system ensures the continuation of legal filings and operations while the office works through the recovery process. Law enforcement remains actively involved in investigating the cyberattack, and the office is focusing on restoring systems to full functionality.
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