Fulton County officials say they did not pay ransom after cybersecurity attack

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Fulton County officials say the ransom demanded by hackers was not paid.

Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes was at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon where Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts confirmed that neither the county nor anyone else paid the ransom.

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More than three weeks ago, Fulton County was the target of a ransomware cybersecurity attack that took down most of its online databases.

The hackers threatened to release information obtained during the incident if a ransom of an undisclosed amount was not paid.

“The Board of Commissioners decided that we could not in good conscience use Fulton County taxpayers’ funds to make a payment,” Pitts said during the news conference. “We did not pay nor did anyone pay on our behalf.”

They do not believe that anyone’s personal information was compromised, but they’re still not sure exactly what was stolen.

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Pitts said Lockbit, the group who took responsibility for the attack on the dark web, is now in federal custody.

He said restoration of the phone lines is halfway back up.

Early voting that started Monday at 36 locations across the county is also going well.

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IN RELATED NEWS:

Law enforcement takes control of Lockbit's site after they requested ransom amid cyberattack

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