KANSAS COURTS' COMPUTER SYSTEMS ARE STARTING TO COME BACK ONLINE, 2 MONTHS AFTER CYBERATTACK

The court system in Kansas has started bringing its computer system for managing cases back online, two months after a foreign cyberattack forced officials to shut it down along with public access to documents and other systems, the judicial branch announced.

The case management systems for district courts in 28 of the state’s 105 counties are expected to be fully back online by the end of the week. Online access to documents for the public will be restored after that, though counties that go back online will be able to offer access through terminals at their courthouses, the judicial branch said.

The courts also have restored systems that allow people to apply for marriage licenses online and file electronic requests for orders to protect them from abuse, stalking and human trafficking.

The Kansas Supreme Court’s seven justices, who oversee administration of the state courts, said last month that the judicial branch was the victim of a “sophisticated foreign cyberattack.” Criminals stole data and threatened to post it on a dark website “if their demands were not met,” the justices said.