Cyberattack targets Allegheny County DA's office

A cyberattack that targeted the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office last week continues to disrupt prosecutors’ phones and computers and has left administrators scrambling to restore services while they jury-rig solutions.

Those efforts continued Tuesday, even as the office said it caught the intrusion early enough to avert disaster.

Officials were alerted Thursday night by the Department of Homeland Security and FBI of a cyber threat targeting their computer servers and attempting to access their network, First Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Spangler said Tuesday.

The servers were shut down, and the office avoided emailing other agencies to avoid spreading any kind of computer virus and to prevent the attackers from accessing confidential information, she said.

It’s unclear if the DA’s office was targeted by a malware or ransomware attack.

“At this time, we don’t know what the attempt was — we’re still in the investigation stage to tell what type of intrusion,” Spangler said.

In the meantime, the computer network in the office has been shut down, which means attorneys and staff have limited email access, and they cannot use their desk phones or automated filing systems.

The Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas sent a notice to staff on Saturday night explaining that they were restricting emails and Teams calls and invitations from the district attorney’s office to protect against becoming victims of the attack.

A message left with court administration on Tuesday afternoon was not returned.

Spokesmen for the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s office said they could not confirm or deny the attack and had no comment.

Abigail Gardner, an Allegheny County spokeswoman, said the county’s information technology systems were not impacted, but that the investigation is ongoing.

Spangler said that the DA’s office was cautious when it learned about the attack to ensure it didn’t spread to other public entities.

The office has its own computer technicians and system.

“We are working with the appropriate partners to ensure all of our data is protected,” she said. “We’re doing everything we can to keep operating.”

Some attorneys and staff are working from home, and some filings are being handled the old-fashioned way, with paper copies. While the network shutdown is slowing some work, three homicide trials are underway this week.

The office has set up two phone lines for the public to use until the problems are fixed.

“Everything is more difficult, but we still have to do the work,” Spangler said. “The criminal justice system doesn’t stop.”

Earlier this year, Washington County was the subject of a cyber attack, as was the Pennsylvania courts website.

In 2015, the DA’s office paid six Bitcoins, or about $1,400, in ransom after one of its computers was infected with malware that locked its user out of its encrypted files.

To contact the DA’s office, call 412-915-6914 or 412-879-7548 or email inquiry@alleghenycountyda.us.