CONVENT, La. — Parish officials in Louisiana say their computer systems were attacked by hackers that may have originated in Russia causing a precautionary shutdown of the network.
News outlets report the attack on the St. James Parish's network was discovered Sunday, prompting a special cyber-task force and Louisiana State Police to try to stop the attempted hack.
Parish President Timmy Roussel says investigators told officials to shut down the network to stop the cyberattack from spreading. He says the network could be back up by Friday.
Roussel says the attack was similar to a phishing scheme used to lock down computers within the Tangipahoa Parish School Board in July. Prior to the Tangipahoa attack, three other public school systems were hacked causing Gov. John Bel Edwards to declare an emergency.
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