Officials in eastern Idaho's Madison County say a ransomware attack has left the county struggling to conduct business.
County Commissioner Brent Mendenhall tells the Post Register in a story on Wednesday that county employees have been unable to send e-mails since Sunday.
Madison County Clerk Kim Muir says the county is using backup data from Saturday to issue paychecks Thursday.
The objective of ransomware is to cut off a user's access to computer systems and then demand payment to return that access.
Mendenhall and Muir say they have no intention of paying the ransom -- and haven't looked to see how much is being demanded.
Mendenhall credited county workers for backing up data, meaning the system can be restored without paying the ransom.
(by Associated Press)
