Cyberattack shuts down LA County courts for another day. Here's where things stand

A cyber attack on L.A. County’s courts has crippled the nation’s largest trial system for at least another day — despite work all weekend to fix the damage.

Why it matters

The Friday attack forced the shutdown of nearly all network systems — from the jury portal to the court’s website. In a statement issued late Sunday, Presiding Judge Samantha Jessner called the attack “unprecedented.”

How bad is it?

According to the ordered issued Sunday on the closure: "Every electronic platform containing court data was rendered inaccessible as was any device that was connected to the internet, including the Court’s telephone systems."

Where things stand

Court officials initially thought the Friday outage was due to a widespread global tech outage that hobbled travel, hotels, hospitals and other businesses.

Later on Friday, court officials said they'd determined a ransomware attack was to blame. In a statement, court officials said:

"The attack began in the early morning hours of Friday, July 19. The attack is believed to be unrelated to the CrowdStrike issue currently creating disruptions to technology worldwide."

Sunday evening, Jessner said they needed more time to contain damage, protect the court’s integrity and ensure confidentiality. That means all 36 courthouses remain closed for business Monday.

“While the Court continues to move swiftly towards a restoration and recovery phase, many critical systems remain offline as of Sunday evening," she wrote. "One additional day will enable the Court’s team of experts to focus exclusively on bringing our systems back online so that the Court can resume operations as expeditiously, smoothly and safely as possible.”

What or who caused it?

No word yet from authorities. Friday's statement on the attack said court officials were "working diligently with authorities to investigate the breach and to mitigate its impact." They said they'd will "share more information as it becomes available."

Ripple effects

L.A. County sheriff's officials said anyone already sentenced and scheduled for release Monday will still be released. Not true for any evictions or move out orders, which will be suspended.

Monday will be considered a "court holiday," according to the closure order, which effectively extends all deadlines by a day.

What's next

Court officials said they’re confident the systems will be restored by Tuesday. In the meantime, the sheriff's department said deputies "will be present at County courthouses to assist the public with any questions or concerns."

We’ll keep you posted on updates.