Ogeechee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office

Summary

The Ogeechee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office experienced a cyber attack that was detected and halted in real time by its expanded 24/7 IT support contract. Although no significant data loss occurred, the office temporarily closed its physical locations for investigation and recovery, and notified partner agencies to maintain court operations. Officials noted that prior recommendations for a backup system had not been implemented due to cost, but efforts to establish one were underway prior to the attack.

Motives

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TTPs

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Description

At approximately 6:00 AM on June 11, 2025, the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office was subjected to a cyber attack. Georgia Technologies, which had been providing IT support to the office for several years, detected the intrusion in real time thanks to the office’s recently expanded contract for 24/7 monitoring and support. The company’s analysts were able to identify the malicious activity and intervene before any significant data could be compromised. This rapid response prevented what could have resulted in catastrophic data loss for the office.

Prior to the attack, Georgia Technologies had repeatedly advised the office’s previous leadership to implement a dedicated backup system to protect against such incidents. Those recommendations were not acted upon at the time, with cost concerns cited as the reason for not deploying the backup solution. In December 2024, during the final month of the prior administration, the office began efforts to acquire a comprehensive backup system, a process noted as complex and expected to take several months due to the volume of sensitive data involved. After taking office, District Attorney Robert Busbee made strengthening cybersecurity and backup capabilities a priority, which included expanding the Georgia Technologies contract to full 24/7 IT support and monitoring.

As a precautionary measure, all physical office locations of the Ogeechee Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office were tentatively closed for five days to allow for investigation, system recovery, and remediation, with the timeline subject to change based on ongoing assessment. During the closure, staff will have limited ability to check email and to appear in court. District Attorney Busbee notified the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Cyber Crimes Division, Superior Court Chief Judge Michael Muldrew, the Court Administrator, the Clerk of Court, the Public Defender’s Office, and other partner agencies to maintain continuity of critical court operations. The office pledged to provide updates to the public and media as more information becomes available, with those updates also posted on its official Facebook page.

Sources

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