Overview

• Kansas court system has been disrupted for nearly two weeks due to a computer outage that experts suspect to be a ransomware attack, although no group has claimed responsibility yet.
• The disruption has forced attorneys to file motions on paper and has considerably slowed down the entire system with growing piles of paperwork.
• Since 2019, ransomware groups have targeted 18 state, city or municipal court systems but the extent of disruption in Kansas is unprecedented.
• Johnson County has been spared from the disruptions as it operates on its own computer systems and hasn't switched over to the state's new online court system.
• With the electronic system down, courts are unable to accept filings, process payments, manage cases or grant public access to records. Electronic application for protection-from-abuse orders and marriage licenses have also been affected.
• Kansas officials have announced that the court system will have to rely upon paper-based operations for at least another week.