County spending more than half a million after system hack

More than two weeks after a cyberattack on Hinds County’s computer system, the board of supervisors voted to spend just over $600,000 to restore it.The board voted Friday to contract with two companies to help fix the problem.The system has been offline since Sept. 7, when it was hit with a Ransomware attack, shutting down many county agencies. The Department of Homeland Security, as well as the FBI, were called to investigate.Earlier this week, Hinds County Attorney Tony Gaylor said the crippled computer servers could be resolved within days.Gaylor said during a news conference Wednesday that the county hopes to focus on reopening the Tax Collector’s Office first, where so many people have complained they have been unable to get renewals for car tags or handicapped parking cards.Central Mississippi Realtors, who represent more than 1,600 real estate professionals, said the disruption has caused a significant impact on the real estate business. They said property tax payments have been delayed. There have been challenges in Title searches, and there has been disruption in real estate transactions.County officials said residents would not be penalized by late fees as a result of the attack.A prior version of this article attributed information to Hinds County Administrator Kenny Wayne Jones, who was wrongly identified as Kenny Wayne Smith. He was not the source of the information.

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