FREMONT, CO — Fremont County officials say the county is still suffering from a cyberattack that took down county government systems on Wednesday, August 17th.
The attack caused Fremont County Government buildings and county government systems to remain closed through Friday.
Fremont County Commissioner Chairperson, Debbie Bell, states, “We are working to restore county services that were impacted by the cybersecurity event as quickly and safely as possible. We understand it can be very hard to wait, but please know we are waiting right alongside all of you. We also are seeking answers even as we are working around the clock to restore all county government services. We have every confidence in the team we have assembled and will seek resolution as quickly as possible.”
So far there is no indication that city and state-managed systems have been compromised.
The county responded by assembling an incident response team led by Fremont County Emergency Management and the Governor's Office of Information Technology (OIT).
The Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM), Colorado State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC), and federal partners have stepped in to support Fremont County as the investigation continues.
"When it comes to fighting against cybercrime, we are stronger together," explains State Chief Information Security Officer Ray Yepes. "The state deployed resources to help lead response and recovery efforts in the wake of Fremont County’s cybersecurity incident, and we will continue to provide support in collaboration with our county, state, and federal partners until all services are restored."
Below is a list of the actionable steps and priorities the county is focused on. As of right now, there is no timeline as to when the services will be restored and the investigation finished.
County Priorities
- Fremont County’s top priority is ensuring residents are safe and can access the county government services on which they rely.
- For that reason, county government officials are prioritizing the immediate services to be brought online.
- While the cybersecurity event is preventing county employees from accessing business email, phone service is unaffected, secured computers are being provided and alternative email addresses are being identified to ensure business continuity.
- The county is committed to making county services available as quickly and safely as possible.
- Law enforcement investigation continues as we look into the extent of the damage.
Stay Informed
- Fremont County, OIT, DHSEM, and the SEOC are committed to providing timely information as progress is made.
- County residents are encouraged to visitthe temporary Fremont County website for incident updates and real-time information on the availability of county government services.
- Fremont County Call Center is available at (719) 276-7421.
_____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV, and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
