Delaware County investigating hacker safeguards

MUNCIE, Ind. — Delaware County doesn't want to be the next Madison County, particularly when it comes to having information systems held hostage.

Delaware County officials have authorized their information technology department to investigate methods, including software, to prevent the kind of ransomware attack that recently hit neighboring Madison County.

According to news accounts late last week, Madison County officials acknowledged they had been shut out of their servers and that the hacker responsible had demanded an undisclosed amount of payment to restore control. The county couldn't look up old court records or even use its inmate-booking computer program at the jail. Indiana State Police investigators were in charge of the case.

Longtime Delaware County IT provider James Flook came to Monday's commissioners' meeting and briefed them on the Madison County attack.

"Madison County was hit over the weekend by ransomware," Flook told the commissioners. "They were still locked down this morning. ... It's a piece of malware that gets attached to an email and grows like a virus."

Flook noted that it's possible that Madison County government's insurance agent might have to pay ransom "in the millions."

"That's something the county couldn't afford to pay," Flook said about Delaware County.

Floor told the commissioners he wanted to investigate procuring software that would "help us guard against this happening in Delaware County."

The commissioners encouraged Flook to take those steps.

"We would like you to investigate as soon as possible," commissioners president Shannon Henry said.

County Attorney John Brooke also said he would check with the county's insurance agent to determine the county's coverage for such circumstances. Jason Rogers, the county's emergency management director, said Delaware County was helping Madison County by performing some emergency-services computer functions.

Contact Keith Roysdon at 765-213-5828 and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

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