Washington State Courts Experience Statewide Outage Following Cyber Incident

A cyber incident involving “unauthorized activity” led to a statewide outage across Washington state court systems, disrupting services for multiple courts since November 3, 2024. The Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) detected the suspicious activity over the weekend and responded by taking systems offline to secure critical networks. This outage affected the AOC’s website, judicial information systems, and case management systems, leading to significant limitations in online services for courts statewide, including municipalities that rely on the state’s infrastructure. Although essential court operations like scheduled hearings continue with minimal interruption, access to specific services, such as electronic records and judgment balance information, is limited until systems are fully restored.

AOC officials indicated that there is no evidence suggesting the cyber incident was targeted but did not specify further due to security concerns. Pierce County and other municipal courts advised visitors to verify available services before arriving, as certain functions are currently restricted. While restoration efforts are underway, AOC is collaborating with cybersecurity experts to safeguard systems, expecting intermittent disruptions in the coming days. Similar cybersecurity challenges have recently impacted other state judicial systems, such as the San Joaquin County Superior Court in California, underscoring the growing vulnerability of judicial information networks across states.

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