Pennsylvania State Capitol building in Harrisburg on July 26, 2023. Amanda Berg
The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office has confirmed it was the target of a cyberattack last month.
State Attorney General Dave Sunday said late last week that the office has made “substantial progress” in restoring full functionality since the incident.
No payment was made to the attackers, who were not identified.
The attorney general’s office is conducting an ongoing investigation with other agencies, which it said limits its ability to provide further comment.
A statement from the office said future updates will include notifications to individuals if the investigation determines nonpublic information was compromised.
While the incident caused a temporary interruption, the majority of the office’s 1,200 staff members are now performing their daily duties, with many using alternate channels and methods.
The office’s main phone line and website are back online, and staff have access to email, officials said.
“Our work to restore full operations continues,” a statement from the office said. “We are also working to help other agencies avoid a similar scenario.”
The office said its prosecutors and attorneys have continued to go to court, and special agents have continued their investigations since the attack began in early August.
The interruption led some courts to issue time extensions on certain criminal and civil cases, officials said.
“We do not expect — based on what the investigation has revealed so far — that any criminal prosecutions or investigations or civil proceedings will be negatively impacted solely due to the outside interruption,” the office said in a statement.
The attack comes amid a rise in cyberattacks on government agencies, including the Bucks County’s 9-1-1 system last year. Federal authorities have issued warnings to state and local governments about the growing threat in recent years.
