Attempted Cyberattack Disrupts Louisiana Government Websites

Many of Louisiana’s state government websites and email systems were shut down because of what the governor’s office is describing as an attempted ransomware attack.

The problem Monday disrupted business operations and online services across state agencies.

Gov. John Bel Edwards’ office says some services started to come back online Monday afternoon. But it could take several days to fully restore all websites and online operations.

Edwards’ office says the Office of Technology Services identified a “cybersecurity threat” that affected some of its computer servers. The technology services office took all its servers offline as a precaution.

The governor didn’t identify who was responsible for the attempted cyberattack, but he says state police and federal agencies are investigating.

Officials say nearly every state agency was affected in the shutdown.