"Cyberattack on New Mexico County"
A cyberattack has forced the government of New Mexico’s most populous county to close most of its county buildings to the public. Bernalillo County had to take some of its IT systems offline after becoming the target of a digital assault that county officials suspect was a ransomware attack. In a statement, the county said that all public safety departments, such as emergency 911 communications, the Sheriff’s Office, and Fire and Rescue, were operating as usual “using back-up contingencies.” However, the incident caused the county’s Metropolitan Detention Center to cancel inmate visits last Wednesday. The county did not share any information about how or by whom the attack was orchestrated. Nor has the county stated if any data has been compromised or if it has received a ransom demand. The attack on Bernalillo County is also disrupting the local real estate industry. With key county IT systems offline, realtors cannot access information such as taxes and deeds that are needed to complete property sales.