Not even a month after ransomware struck the city of Baltimore, an unspecified malware attack shut down Philadelphia’s online court systems for weeks forcing attorneys to file paperwork in person, longer lines, and even jury duty excusals being granted via Twitter.
The problems started on May 21 when the malware was discovered in “a limited number” of computers causing them to shut down the system as a precaution, according to a statement tweeted in a Google Doc attachment from the courts Twitter account.
The shutdown effectively has prevented anyone from filing documents in the court system electronically, sending people to physical courts, , and reduced the hours that documents can be accepted.
Officials were vague when describing what kind of attack took place claiming that they are unable to provide any information in specific detail as it could “jeopardize the remediation process.” There is no definitive time table for when officials believe that systems will be back up and running and secure network connections have been set up to for employees to begin docketing files received over the counter.
