Washington state court shuts down online systems due to ‘unauthorized’ network activity

SEATTLE – Washington The state’s courts are investigating after discovering “unauthorized activity” in its online systems. Washington courts publicly announced the situation on the morning of November 4.

As a precaution, the Administrative Office of the Courts said it has prematurely shut down the Washington Court website, court information system and related services to protect them.

The network failure caused lawyers like Keith Clark rotate while working with active cases.

“As lawyers, we are required in King County, Pierce County and the appellate system to file electronically,” Clark said. “So we had to actually email things directly to the court, which was normally not allowed, you would never do that. But they’ve changed the rules to allow us to do it during a crash.”

Since the website is down, the Administrative Office of the Courts is using it Facebook page post updates on the steps taken to resolve the issue. The latest statement said analysis of the network failure was ongoing, but assured that there was no evidence that any legal or personal data had been accessed, altered or deleted.

Clark said the confidentiality of that data is imperative because not all public records are subject to release.

“There are all kinds of predators that are constantly looking for information,” Clark said. “You have private, personal and sensitive financial information or social security numbers that need to be blocked. All this does not become public.”

Representatives of the Administrative Department of the Courts stated that the main priority now is to safely restore communication with the services of the courts of the first and appellate instances. In a statement, Court Relations Manager Wendy Ferrell wrote: “We are working diligently to restore services as quickly as possible. Good progress has been made, but recovering systems in a secure environment will take an extremely long time due to complexity. and interconnection of networks”.

Clark said the pause in access could create problems for others trying to get through the network outage.

“If you’re representing yourself and you don’t have a lawyer, it’s really difficult. Because all of us as lawyers kind of understand and know the system, and we can call somebody in the courthouse and say, ‘Hey, how does it work?’ But if you’re not familiar with these systems, it’s a real problem,” Clark said.

Clark advised those who need help to contact a case manager immediately. The Administrative Office of the Courts can be reached at [email protected] or 360-705-5347.

“Have your questions ready when you call. Don’t get confused. Write them down. If you’re old school like me, write them down. I need to know the following. They get a ton of phone calls, so let them help you,” Clark said.

Ferrell explained that the impact on operations depends on the court. For example, the superior and circuit courts in King County have their own case management systems separate from the state. Therefore, there is no significant impact.

Besides, Circuit Court of Pierce County said the outage limited some services, but core functions and most processes are moving forward with minimal disruption.

MORE NEWS FROM FOX SEATTL

FBI offers $25,000 reward for information on Washington ballot box arson suspect

Parents petition to recall Seattle School Board President Lisa Rankin

Surveillance video captured the crash in downtown Seattle, and the driver is being sought

Trump’s immigration plans raise concerns among Washington immigrant advocates

King County Executive Dow Constantine will not run for re-election in 2025

For the best local Seattle news, weather and sports for free, sign up for the daily newsletter FOX Seattle Newsletter.

Download the free FOX LOCAL mobile app at Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, breaking news, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from around the country.