Ransomware Attack Continues on Pennsylvania State Democrats

Pennsylvania Democratic state senators and employees continue to be locked out of their network by a ransomware attack that started Friday morning.

Party leader Sen. Jay Costa told NBC News Friday they were working with law enforcement and Microsoft for a solution and didn’t say what the hackers were asking for ransom.

On Monday, Costa confirmed the senators and staff were still locked out of email and their networks, and they refused to pay up for their information, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The network backs up nightly, but Costa told reporters they were still waiting to find out if those files were affected.

The ransomware attack comes as the minority party is prepping for a budget battle. It is continuing its work, but runs into occasional inconveniences—like not being able to print.

“We did this work before we had computers. I think it’s more difficult for younger staff, who’ve never known a work world without the internet,” Tim Joyce, chief of staff for Sen. Jim Brewster, told the Gazette.