JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ky. — Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw spoke for the first time on Wednesday about the ransomware attack that shut down offices across the Louisville Metro on Monday.
"I've had to come to peace and terms that I can only do so much, and it's really hard when you have to sit back and accept things," Holsclaw said.
The agency said they continue to resolve the situation. WHAS11 asked Holsclaw if Louisvillians should be concerned about their personal information like social security or driver's license numbers being stolen.
"No, absolutely not," Holsclaw said. "That's the last thing I want them to be concerned about, because none of that was touched."
But Holsclaw did say this attack forced everyone out of their system.
Adrian Lauf, an associate professor in computer sciences and engineering at the University of Louisville, said hackers are targeting after government entities and large corporations.
"They're typically going to target organizations that could pay hundreds of thousands of dollars or millions of dollars," Lauf said.
He went on to say that having a back up system helps companies recover from situations like this.
Holsclaw said that's exactly what they did, and that later in the evening she would be reaching out to surrounding counties to see if they can assist Jefferson County residents with immediate needs.
"We've had several county clerks step up saying they will help us with the backlog of work," Holsclaw said. "And I've given my approval on that today."
The Jefferson County Clerk's Office will be taking this attack as a learning opportunity.
"There was just nothing we could've done to have stopped this," Holsclaw said. "I can only hope the customer knows that throughout the years we've really taken pride in our customer service, and that once we get back and running we'll be back to our same way."
The clerk's office does not have a date on when they expect to reopen, and went on to say that outside counties are willing to mainly help with motor vehicle registrations and marriage licenses.
Surrounding Kentucky county clerks are currently in the process of situating a plan on how they will be able to assist, making sure they can navigate this issue without being overwhelmed themselves.