Chelan County makes 'significant progress' following malware attack

Chelan County has made "significant progress" in recovering its network and systems after a malware attack three weeks ago.

The county's IT department shut down its entire network around 10 a.m. May 24 after detecting malware affecting computers and telephone systems and has been working with a third-party cybersecurity firm to safely recover their network.

The nature and scope of the original attack have not been identified, and the investigation is ongoing. The attack, however, did not impact as many systems as originally thought, according to a Chelan County news release.

"We have the same type of protections in place that most of corporate America has – and then some," said Commissioner Shon Smith. "We're in the same boat as other governments, businesses and households. These days, something as simple as a click on an advanced phishing email can corrupt a system."

But this week, the county's IT department restored several county systems, including telephones, staff desk computers, email and some servers to "workable conditions," according to the news release.

County websites remain down, but offices are open to the public with specific instructions on how the public should navigate each specific department on the county's Facebook page.

The county's IT department expects sporadic disruptions in some parts of its network as staff work to recover the network fully.

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