Officials in Washington County are facing an ongoing cyber attack that started on Friday and continues even now.
Over the weekend, there were thousands of attempts to break into the county’s computer systems. They were trying to access things like emails and maps.
Impact on County Services
Despite the attack, some parts of the county, like the Assessor’s Office, kept working fine. It’s kind of like someone trying to open your door repeatedly. They could see the door is closed, so they move on, but they keep checking back.
The Sheriff’s Office wasn’t much affected except for their email system, which uses the county servers. They managed to block most of the attempts.
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Understanding the Attack
Officials said it’s what they call a “dictionary attack,” where they try every word in the dictionary as a password. It works sometimes because many people use simple words as passwords.
Washington County’s computer systems have been the target of what officials say is a continuing cyber attack that began Friday:
#CyberPolygon: Washington County’s computer systems have been the target of what officials say is a continuing cyber attack that began Friday. https://t.co/m4ZqhLYBmk
— Geopolitics & Empire (@Geopolitics_Emp) December 18, 2023
Other Instances and Statewide Situation
There have been other cyber attacks in places like Fayetteville and across the state. A recent report found that many public bodies across Arkansas faced cyber issues. Schools and colleges were targeted the most, with cases of fake transactions and trick emails being common.
Wider Impact and Challenges
Some attacks resulted in huge problems, like a school district having to pay a lot of money to hackers to get their data back. These cyber attacks are causing disruptions and making it hard for some places to work normally.