Martin County officials ‘in the dark’ as to computer issues at tax collector’s office
Nearly two weeks after a computer issue knocked out most services at the Martin County Tax Collector’s office, notices still hang from every entrance to their offices, informing people that they are “experiencing a network issue that is impacting the functionality of some of our systems.”But so far, the office has not given any information about the network issue.In fact, top county officials told WPBF 25 News even they don’t know what’s going on.“I don’t know,” said Assistant County Administrator George Stokus. “I can’t verify what’s happening at the tax collector’s office.”As the assistant county administrator, Stokus usually knows what’s happening in the county.Not this time.“I’m not so much frustrated. I’m just concerned,” he said. “We stand at the ready to help the tax collector. She’s obviously going through something.”Stokus provided a timeline of information of what county officials know.He said the tax collector’s office first alerted the county on Oct. 17 that their system had been hit by something called Blackbyte ransomware, which knocked out much of their network.The tax collector’s network is separate from the county’s, but county officials still have been actively checking to make sure their network is secure, which they said it is.“We’re trying to protect our assets and our property and our users and, ultimately, the Martin County resident,” Stokus said.The next update to the county came from an independent computer security firm hired by the tax collector.That update retracted the initial alert saying the attack came from Blackbyte ransomware, adding the source of the problem remained unknown.But aside from the notices on the doors and a few posts on social media, there has been no information from the tax collector’s office.Stokus said all he can do is focus on keeping county networks secure and hoping for the best for the tax collector.“We’re just like you,” he said. “We’re kind of sitting on the sidelines, waiting to see what the tax collector’s going to do. Because this still continues to be a security issue at the tax collector’s office.”Repeated efforts to reach tax collector Ruth…