To this point, 26 servers have been rebuilt following a Malware infiltration of the Fayette County electronic system on June 23, according to the Fayette County Commissioners.

The Malware that was detected was Ransomware. Ransomware is essentially a malicious software that is designed to keep users from accessing their electronic data unless a sum of money or a “ransom” is paid.

The infiltration is still under investigation by different organizations while Fayette County IT Department Director Mike Meadows and his staff work to bring back all county services. Approximately 95 percent of the county’s computers now have a new and more secure anti-virus downloaded.

More employees are able to access their county emails although not all have been restored yet. Some agencies are unable to send emails or faxes so documents may need to be picked up in-person.

Commissioner Tony Anderson said many county employees are still utilizing pencil and paper during this time, and asked for the public’s patience and understanding.

The commissioners explained they recently spoke with Washington C.H. City Manager Joe Denen and a couple of the city council members about the situation and suggested the city consider stricter electronic security in case of an attack on the city network.

When asked for input, Denen said electronic security for the city is “an arms race because you do everything that’s recommended but then that can rapidly change. That is something we continue to look at and monitor. We made a decision to have an outside person look at the system and its level of security to see if they like what we do.”

Any questions regarding the infiltration of the county network can be directed to the Fayette County Commissioners’ office from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday-Friday. The Fayette County Commissioners’ Office is located at 133 S. Main St., suite 401 in Washington Court House and the phone number is 740-335-0720.

Reach Jennifer Woods at 740-313-0355.