Was The Delco Network Hack Resolved? Questions Linger After Cyberattack On County's System

MEDIA, PA — Government services have been fully restored after a "sophisticated" cybercriminal attack into Delaware County's network that impacted public services, officials said Monday. But several years after the County paid ransom for a similar incident, questions still linger.

The recent hack was identified June 26, when several County departments had phone and internet outages as part of an effort protect sensitive information. The cyberattack impacted services at several County institutions, including courts, libraries and the District Attorney's Office.

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County officials have been investigating the incident with help from third-party experts, determining that the attackers accessed the County's network and data in that network.

"We are still investigating with assistance from cybersecurity specialists to confirm the full scope of the recent attack, including confirming the scope of risk to data maintained within portions of the County's network," the County said Monday in a statement. "We will determine any next steps in response to the attack based on the investigation results."

Services were fully restored in mid-to-late July, County spokesperson Mike Connolly told Patch.

Several questions remain uncertain — at least publicly — including how the attackers accessed the network and whether ransom has or will be paid.

"There are key details of the process that must remain confidential as we continue to work through the response process through external partners, but we do expect to be able to share more information as the process concludes," Connolly told Patch via email.

In 2020, Delco's computer system was hacked in after a county employee fell for a "phishing" scam email. Officials say the hacker threatened to release county data unless a ransom was paid. The county paid $25,000 to resolve the issue.

Since then, the County's IT team has followed industry recommendations to best secure network assets, officials said. Those protections proved valuable in the recent attacks, since several larger hacking attempts were blocked, according to the County.

"We appreciate the patience of our residents as our team worked to restore those critical resident-facing services," Connolly told Patch. "All systems are expected to remain fully operational."