The judicial systems of the state of Washington disconnected after a cyberattack.

The courts in the state of Washington were forced to disconnect their technology infrastructure due to a cyberattack carried out by unidentified hackers. This situation led judicial officials to take drastic measures to prevent further damage. According to Wendy Ferrell, the associate director of the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), the decision to suspend operations was made as a precaution, and they are working with experts to restore services as soon as possible.

In Washington, the judicial systems encompass multiple municipal and district courts, and not all courts have been impacted in the same way. For example, some courts in Bainbridge Island, Monroe, Puyallup, Milton, and Thurston County have continued to operate, although with limited services.

The Pierce County Superior Court Clerk's Office, on the other hand, has maintained online access, stating that the effects on its functions were limited. "We are experiencing service interruptions due to unauthorized activity detected on the Washington Courts network," this office communicated. The AOC has taken immediate steps to secure critical systems and is actively working to restore services safely.

Meanwhile, the presiding judge of the King County District Court, Rebecca C. Robertson, indicated that the courts in this county did not suffer significant impact, as they operate a separate case management system. Robertson mentioned that they are prepared to remain inactive for at least a week and that, to protect extremely sensitive data, the decision was made to shut everything down and rebuild the system.

So far, the identity of the attackers and the specific type of cyberattack carried out remains unknown. However, judicial organizations have faced ransomware incidents in the past, such as in the summer of 2024, when the Los Angeles Superior Court, the largest in the U.S., suffered an attack that forced it to completely shut down operations for a day.