Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office hacked by ransomware

A second Florida city paid thousands of dollars to ransomware attackers who hacked their computer systems — the latest in a growing trend that forces local governments offline.

by: Victoria Cristina

Posted: Apr 17, 2020 / 02:14 PM EDT

Updated: Apr 17, 2020 / 02:14 PM EDT

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NEW ORLEANS – On Friday, it was announced that the Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office was the target of a cyber attack.

Officials say that multiple layers of computer security prevented any personal or confidential information form being stolen.

The following statement can be attributed to Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office Spokesperson Devin Johnson:

“The Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office is working closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation after our server was breached by ransomware. No personal or confidential information was stolen due to the multiple levels of authentication in the Assessor’s system and all office functions will continue as the data critical to the operation of the office is still accessible. We are proceeding with revaluations for the 2021 tax year. The webpage and online interactions by the public on the website are in no way impacted by this breach. We will continue to work closely with the FBI and defer to their investigation before further comment.”