Finney County’s computer network has been shut down twice over the last week in order to protect county data after malware and viruses attacked the network through emails, and with email and internet down, some county departments have been struggling in recent days to provide services.
The county network was shut down on Tuesday morning — the second time in a week — in an attempt to protect data while the malware was located, removed and until preventive safeguards could be put in place.
Because of the attacks, the Finney County Information Technology department requested assistance from the Department of Homeland Security Incident Response Team and Trend Micro, a locally installed anti-virus software company.
Trend Micro became involved on Thursday to create a custom package for the county to fight against the virus.
“With their assistance, we’ve been able to bring email service back to our department directors as of (Thursday morning), as well as a few other essential services, specifically in the clerk’s, treasurer’s, and appraiser’s offices,” according to a press release on Thursday from Sara McClure, the county’s communications specialist.
(Read more: News – The Garden City Telegram)