Cybersafetyconnections October 2,2023 vol#137 

  • From konbriefing there was a cyberattack on IT system for criminal justice system- the Regional Justice Information System (REJIS) – St. Louis, Missouri, USA. 
  • It looks that this happened because it does not have enhanced cybersecurity and needs to beef up its cybersecurity. 
  • Officials from various departments rely on the Regional Justice Information System (REJIS). 
  • Here are steps taken to mitigate loss from the cyberattack. 

What Happened? 

The problem with our criminal injustice…… 

Stltoday.com reported that St. Louis County recently experienced a cyberattack that temporarily shut down some of its computer systems used for looking up court cases, processing court cases and managing people in custody at the jail. Apparently, it looks like some people may not be happy with doing time for the crime. 

How was that possible? 

Cybersecurity PNG Transperant Images 

County Executive Sam Page reported that the county needed enhanced cybersecurity and so it maybe a lapse in cybersecurity that made the cyber-attack possible. 

Who was impacted? 

St. Louis County officials 

Officials from various departments rely on the Regional Justice Information System (REJIS), which was affected by the attack. Although 911 services were not affected, the county had to fall back on paper-based systems to book and release people from jail. 

According to kctv5.com Kansas City-area Municipal Courts in three cities suspended some operations due to a security issue with the Regional Justice Information System (REJIS). The courts rely on REJIS for technological support, but they could not access any information from the system following a security-related incident. The courts have canceled walk-in dockets, and scheduling had been suspended until further notice. The Overland Park court is accepting payments and conducting its docket as usual. 

What is being done to mitigate loss? 

Diseaster Management 

So far here are steps taken to mitigate losses. 

  • The Missouri Highway Patrol and SpearTip, a cybersecurity firm, were able to assist in mitigating the situation and preventing any data from being compromised.  
  • County Executive Sam Page has also taken measures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future, including hiring a cybersecurity expert to audit the county’s systems earlier this year.  
  • Page also plans to request additional funding from the council to further enhance the county’s cybersecurity.