All Hinds County offices are now able to resume providing regularly scheduled services following a September computer breach that shut down online operations.
Hinds County Board of Supervisors President Vern Gavin reported that systems are up and running countywide during Monday’s board meeting.
Last week, supervisors approved a total of $600,000 — $300,000 to two contractors — to get the system back online and operating at full capacity. On Monday, an additional amount just north of $400,000 was approved for a company to repair all damages done to the county’s computer systems.
District 2 Supervisor David Archie was not in favor of the board’s vote. The outgoing supervisor expressed concerns with the money being spent on repairs, saying he is unfamiliar with the work the selected contractors have done and does not know what exactly they will be tasked with.
Archie also told the public, against the advice from federal authorities, that roughly $250,000 to $300,000 had been sent to the actual hackers. Those figures have not been confirmed by any other supervisors and were said to put the county in danger of a future hack.
County officials are currently working with the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to prevent future cyberattacks in Hinds County.
