COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Auditor of State's Office's web server was targeted in an overseas cyberattack, Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber said in a statement sent to News 5.
Faber said the attack was carried out by overseas cybercriminals and potentially "foreign state actors."
The cyberthreat was detected and isolated by the state office's monitoring service. The web server and online accounts were taken offline while experts assessed the threat. Faber said state and federal law enforcement have been notified, and his office will work with them to identify those involved in the cyberattack.
In the statement sent to News 5, Faber provided a list of what officials know so far about the attack. He said it was not a ransomware attack, there is no evidence the attack put Ohioans' personal financial information at risk, and there is no reason to believe the financial information of government entities audited by the office was put at risk either.
Faber noted that payments to the Auditor of State's Office go through a separate portal and that this data is not on the impacted web server.
Additionally, a grace period will be offered to audit clients who may be experiencing issues with online payments as a result of this incident. The state office doesn't work directly with individual Ohioans, so Faber said his office doesn't expect them to take protective measures because of the incident.
Faber said a temporary web platform will be made available in the coming days. He also noted that private and public entities are targeted by criminals on a "near-daily basis."
"I told my team – and I’m telling everyone we serve – that we will continue to protect our data, find out the extent of the attack, cooperate fully with our law enforcement partners, and tell the public more about this when we know more," Faber said in a statement sent to News 5.
