P. H. Madore reports:
Boston public defenders suffered a ransomware attack some weeks back but have chosen not to send the bitcoin demanded by the attacker. Instead, they decided to use back-ups to restore services. The Committee oversees public defenders in Boston.
According to the Boston Globe, that decision has meant a “weekslong slowdown” that affects everyone in the system. Private attorneys tapped to work for indigent clients receive a small fee from the government. The ransomware attack has also interrupted those payments and locked up the organization’s essential digital services, including e-mail.
As a security measure, they’ve taken their systems offline in order to cleanse them of viruses.
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