Cyberattack hits Democrats in Pennsylvania state Senate

The IT network used by Pennsylvania’s state Senate Democrats was shuttered early Friday morning after a ransomware attack. 

Ransomware is malicious software that prevents systems from working properly, often by encrypting files, until a ransom is paid. It is frequently spammed with no specific victim or even explicit knowledge of its potential targets.

“Officials from the caucus have been in contact with law enforcement to investigate the incident and are working with Microsoft to restore the IT system,” the Democratic caucus said in a written statement text-messaged to reporters as its email system had fallen victim to the ransomware. 

“There is currently no indication that the caucus system was targeted or that any data has been compromised.”

The Democrats are currently the minority party in the statehouse. 

All caucus offices remained open, despite the networks going offline.