SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – A ransomware attack has impacted the computer network for Spartanburg County government.
“A ransomware attack is where someone says, ‘Hey, guess what? I’m going to take over your computer and you’re going to pay me a bunch of money to get it back,'” Tech After Five Founder Phil Yanov said.
“Sometimes,” he continued, “they’re going to grab the data and put it out publicly, but most of the time, they’re going to keep you from getting to your data.”
The county said all essential services are still operating, such as 9-1-1 and emergency communications.
County government is still open to the public but they said some online services and phone lines may be unavailable.
The county said its IT department is working with a third-party cybersecurity consultant and are coordinating with law enforcement on the attack. Both SLED and the FBI have been involved in the case, the county said.
The county said their IT department will continue to recover the impacted systems.
If you’re having trouble calling a county department, they suggest using these phone numbers:
Building Codes Department: 864-596-3182, 864-596-3162, 864-596-3159, 864-596-2689, 864-596-3184, or 864-596-3168
Planning and Development Department: 864-596-3689 or 864-596-3458
Environmental Enforcement: 864-706-9610
Assessor’s Office: 864-596-3605
Auditor: 864-596-3287
Master-in-Equity: 864-596-2278
Register of Deeds: 864-596-3498
