Virginia State Police Department Offline After Malware Strikes
As of Wednesday night, at 8 p.m. the Virginia State Police Department was forced offline, unable to use their email communications what so ever. This cease in online communication was due to a malware attack that brought down the email communication networks. By noon on Thursday, the systems were expected to be back up and running.
It remains unclear the type of malware that pushed the communications offline. While the email systems were down, the police department was still able to take calls via their toll-free number. Also, anyone using a cell phone could reach them at #77. Daily operations were not impacted by the malware attack. However, it has impacted the ability for the Sex Offender Registry to be updated. Updates were being made offline, so once workstations could be back online, the registry would automatically update.
The Virginia State Police Department is working with the Virginia Information Technology Agency to determine the vulnerability exposed, allowing the malware to infect the systems.