North Carolina county leaders say second cyberattack failed

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A North Carolina county recovering from a cyberattack says hackers failed in a second attempt to infiltrate their computer system.

Mecklenburg County officials say foreign hackers redoubled their efforts after the county refused to pay a ransom Wednesday. But county officials released a statement Friday saying the second attack was unsuccessful.

Earlier in the week, the first wave of ransomware hit county computers when an employee opened a fraudulent email. Dozens of county servers were frozen by the hackers, requiring technology workers to embark on days of repairs. It also forced the county to do much of its business on paper.

County officials said Friday afternoon that the restoration is progressing. But at least some web-based searches still weren’t working, including ones for jail inmate records and property data.