PA Court System Websites Go Offline After Denial Of Service Cyberattack

Parts of Pennsyvania’s Courts’ website went down on Sunday due to a denial of service cyberattack, according to 6ABC.

PA Systems like PACFile, the use of online docket sheets, PAePay, and the Guardianship Tracking System were all affected, the report says. 

“At this time, there is no indication that any court data was compromised, and the courts will remain open and accessible to the public,” the court said in an obligatorily reassuring sounding statement over the week. 

As 6ABC noted, a denial of service attacks works by flooding a network with traffic until a server is either unusable or crashes altogether. 

Chief Justice of Pennsylvania Debra Todd told ABC: “Our court information technology and executive team is working closely with law enforcement, including the CISA, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the F.B.I to investigate the incident.”

ABC National News reported later in the weekend that the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts had not yet disclosed the identities of the assailants or their possible motivations. 

There was no confirmation regarding the effectiveness of their cybersecurity protocols, nor have there been any reports indicating whether the attackers sought financial demands or a ransom. 

The state’s courts remained open, multiple sources, including NBC, said.