FREMONT COUNTY, Colo. (KXRM) — Fremont County government services are being impacted by a cyber attack that began last week.
According to a Facebook post made by Fremont County Emergency Management, county officials became aware of the attack, which was impacting county government systems, on Wednesday, Aug. 17.
An incident response team led by Fremont County Emergency Management and the Governor’s Office of Information Technology immediately began working to contain the threat, measure the impact and create a remediation plan to bring county systems back online securely.
An investigation has also been launched because cyberattacks are a criminal offense.
“We are working to restore county services that were impacted by the cybersecurity event as quickly and safely as possible,” Fremont County Commissioner Chairperson Debbie Bell said. “We understand it can be very hard to wait, but please know we are waiting right alongside all of you. We also are seeking answers even as we are working around the clock to restore all county government services. We have every confidence in the team we have assembled and will seek resolution as quickly as possible.”
The FCEM said the county’s top priority is ensuring residents are safe and can access the necessary government services. For that reason, county government officials are prioritizing the immediate services to be brought online.
FCEM said that while the cybersecurity event is preventing county employees from accessing business email, phone service is unaffected, secured computers are being provided and alternative email addresses are being identified.
“When it comes to fighting against cybercrime, we are stronger together,” Colorado Chief Information Security Officer Ray Yepes said. “The state deployed resources to help lead response and recovery efforts in the wake of Fremont County’s cybersecurity incident, and we will continue to provide support in collaboration with our county, state and federal partners until all services are restored.”
County residents are encouraged to visit https://fremontcountyco.state.co.us for incident updates and real-time information on the availability of county government services. Fremont County Call Center is also available at (719) 276-7421 from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
