An ongoing "cyber incident" has shuttered Cleveland Municipal Court and court services for a second day — less than a year after a ransomware attack closed City Hall for nearly two weeks.
Michael Negray, the court's deputy administrator, said in an email the incident is under investigation.
"Though we have not confirmed its nature and scope, we are taking this incident seriously," he wrote Sunday evening, announcing the court's closure on Monday, aside from "essential" staff. He said the system shutdown was "precautionary" while they focused on restoring services.
Late Monday afternoon, he confirmed the incident was ongoing and operations would again be closed Tuesday.
All internal systems and software platforms are shut down "until further notice." Ideastream was unable to contact the court via phone.
Negray did not immediately respond to questions from Ideastream.
Last summer, Cleveland City Hall was closed for more than a week after a "cyber event." Residents were unable to access essential services and documents for days, some of whom risked becoming unhoused or losing custody of children.
The city later confirmed the event as a ransomware attack, a malware that blocks access to the victim's sensitive data or holds it hostage unless a ransom is paid. The city did not negotiate with the hackers and ultimately restored all its systems.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
