Hackers Fail at Second Cyberattack Attempt on North Carolina County

A North Carolina county recovering from a cyberattack says hackers failed in a second attempt to infiltrate their computer system.

Mecklenburg County officials say foreign hackers redoubled their efforts after the county refused to pay a ransom last week. But county officials released a statement Friday saying the second attack was unsuccessful.

The first wave of ransomware hit county computers when an employee opened a fraudulent email early last week. Dozens of county servers were frozen by the hackers, requiring technology workers to embark on days of repairs. It also forced the county to do much of its business on paper.

County officials said Friday afternoon that the restoration is progressing. But at least some web-based searches still weren’t working, including ones for jail inmate records and property data.