County computers attacked and still down

Okanogan County’s computer and phone systems were attacked early Saturday morning and were still down Tuesday, leaving most county services open on a limited basis only.

The county’s IT department was working with an outside company on restoring service, Emergency Management Director Maurice Goodall said just before noon Tuesday, while other departments were trying to catch up using the “old time way of doing things” without computers.

Goodall didn’t know the nature of the attack, whether it was a “ransomware” attack or some other kind. Small government sites, including counties, cities, hospital districts, school districts and more have been a favorite target of attackers who lock up computer systems but are willing to sell an unlock code.

Goodall said he could access some cloud-based services through a laptop not tied to the county system, which is how he was able to put out a notice through a countywide alert. And he was working from his cell phone Tuesday. The phone system is out intermittently. People having trouble reaching the county by phone can call the county call center at 509-422-2420 or 509-422-2422.

Workers in the county’s Information Technology Department did get to go home Monday night, he said, but they had not gone home before that. He’d been taking them some meals but otherwise just “staying out of their hair.”

IT is working with “an outside entity” to figure out the problem, he noted. Meanwhile, every computer at the county is shut down. That includes the Okanogan Public Health, which is trying to manage the pandemic response.

The 911 call system is not affected, Goodall said, and the sheriff’s department can take limited non-emergent calls at its 509-422-6968 and 6967 numbers. He noted the landfill is open but only taking cash and checks. The elections and Department of Licensing offices are not on the county’s system and were not affected, Goodall said.

People scheduled for jury duty this week are off the hook.

The county’s servers are in the courthouse but are backed up at offsite locations.