The website for the Cook County Circuit Court clerk remained under maintenance Thursday, almost two weeks after a breach redirecting visitors to a sports website was detected, the clerk’s office said.
In a statement, Circuit Court Clerk Iris Martinez said authorities were still investigating the Aug. 13 “unauthorized activity” that redirected users to an “NFL-related website.” She added that there was no ransomware request suspected and no personal information or court records were affected because those are on a separate server.
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Her statement added that the website is currently “under maintenance for updates” and people should access the clerk’s various office divisions via phone or email. The updates were needed to improve software, security and technology, Martinez said.
She also blamed her predecessor, Dorothy Brown, for the need to upgrade the website, although she released an updated statement later Thursday that made no reference to Brown’s administration.
“These upgrades are necessary to ensure that the lack of attention by the prior administration to the applications used and security components of the website are addressed appropriately,” Martinez said in the earlier statement.
The release said the court clerk’s office can “confirm personal information from the public … (was) not impacted.”
