FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
This provides an update on the First Judicial Circuit of Florida’s (“Circuit”) investigation into a cyber incident.
As our investigation is still ongoing, the Circuit is committed to providing information about the incident, our response, and steps for potentially impacted individuals to follow for protection against the possibility of identity theft or fraud. The Circuit takes this incident very seriously and is using this opportunity to further strengthen our policies, practices, and technology to protect against future attacks.
What Happened and What the Circuit Has Done: Upon detecting suspicious activity on its network, the Circuit responded quickly and temporarily disconnected computer systems to mitigate risk to sensitive information. Circuit Administration began investigating the cyber incident, including coordinating with law enforcement authorities, and utilizing Mandiant, leading global cybersecurity experts, to assist our team in forensic investigation and remediation efforts. The Circuit worked quickly to restore safe and secure access to court operations, services, and systems.
What Information Was Affected: Review and analysis of the affected data involved in this cyber incident is ongoing. While the impacted information varies based on the individual and their relationship with the Circuit, the following information may have been accessed as a result of this incident: name; Social Security number; taxpayer identification number; date of birth; driver’s license information; and state identification number. In addition, for some individuals, certain types of health and insurance information may also have been accessed.
What Information Was Not Affected: The Clerks of the Court in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton Counties maintain the official records of the court in a separate system. As a result, based on the investigation to date, the Clerks’ records and data are not impacted by this incident.
What Should Individuals Do: Out of an abundance of caution, individuals may wish to take steps to protect themselves against the possibility of identity theft and fraud. The Circuit will notify impacted entities and individuals, as appropriate, through various communication channels, including through a media press release, letters mailed and/or emails.
Potentially affected individuals are encouraged to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft by reviewing personal accounts and credit history for unusual activity and reporting any suspicious activity promptly. The Circuit has established a dedicated website, www.firstjudicialcircuit.org/NoticeofDataIncident, which provides additional resources for individuals.
The Circuit sincerely thanks everyone for their patience during this challenging matter. Special recognition to the Clerks of Court for their invaluable assistance and cooperation in restoring court operations; the Office of the State Attorney; the Office of the Public Defender; and the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, along with other partner agencies, who stepped in to provide support with responding to this incident.
For the latest information, please visit www.firstjudicialcircuit.org/NoticeofDataIncident.