Malware compromises Oconee County South Carolina government offices

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The Oconee County Courthouse has been closed and computer servers at nearly every Oconee County government office have been compromised by software designed to disrupt computer systems, Sheriff Mike Crenshaw said Thursday afternoon.

 

Government offices affected are along Pine Street in Walhalla, and they include the treasurer's office, the assessor, the auditor's office, administrative buildings and the solid waste division.

 

It's not yet clear whether or how much residents' personal information may have been compromised as a result of the breach.

"We're working to figure that out, and if it has been, we will notify people," Crenshaw said.

 

The Oconee County Sheriff's Office and its 911 communications systems are among the only government agencies not affected because they operate on different computer servers, Crenshaw said. The Oconee County School District also has offices on Pine Street, but those systems are unaffected, he said.

"The county basically had to shut down offices because most folks simply couldn't do business," he said.

 

A team assessed the damage until Thursday evening. County Administrator Amanda Brock said in a prepared statement Thursday night that all Oconee County government offices would reopen Friday morning, but that "some offices may have limited resources" until computer systems are restored. 

 

The FBI and a computer-crimes unit of the State Law Enforcement Division have been called in to assist the Sheriff's Office and the county's information technology division with the investigation.

 

It's not yet clear how the malware, or malicious software, made it past various firewalls used by the computer system.

Crenshaw said the investigation is still in its early stages and many questions remain unanswered.

 

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