An intruder accessed servers at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts Thursday, prompting officials to shut down its computer system and suspend in-person visits.
The shutdown left jail employees unable to retrieve security documents used to clear visitors. Attorney visits continued, and incarcerated people retained access to telephones and tablets, the sheriff’s department said.
Department spokesperson Karen Barry told the Plymouth Independent that information technology employees detected the intrusion. She said the system would remain inaccessible until the investigation was complete.
The department said the incident did not threaten the facility’s physical security or the safety of staff, incarcerated people or the public.
Massachusetts State Police, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security were investigating. The department has not disclosed how the intruder gained access or which servers were affected.
The sheriff’s department’s website and its visitation page did not respond to DysruptionHub connection attempts Sunday. The department has not said whether that was related to the server intrusion.
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A March ransomware attack on the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and jail in Tennessee disrupted email and inmate booking after booking software failed during an intake. Officials recovered booking data later that day while the FBI and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation assisted. Plymouth County has not said ransomware was involved.
The Plymouth County department also has not disclosed whether extortion was involved, and it has not identified the intruder. The department has not announced a restoration date.
Barry said it was unclear what information, if any, the intruder accessed. The department said it had no evidence that personal information had been misused, but employees were urged to review account statements and credit reports and report suspicious activity. That statement does not establish whether information was viewed or acquired.
