Cyber incident at contractor BAE halts U.S. bankruptcy court notices
A cyber incident at contractor BAE Systems has shut down the system that sends notices for all U.S. bankruptcy courts, Cybernews and Infosecurity Magazine reported. Courts in at least 18 states have posted warnings about it, Cybernews reported. No date has been given for when the system will be back, Infosecurity Magazine reported.
A cybersecurity incident at government contractor BAE Systems has knocked out the Bankruptcy Noticing Center, which produces and sends notices for all federal bankruptcy courts, Cybernews and Infosecurity Magazine reported. BAE runs the center's systems and websites for the federal judiciary, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts said in a notice posted Thursday.
All access to the center's systems and websites is unavailable, and the production and distribution of bankruptcy notices has been halted, the judiciary said. The affected sites include bnc.uscourts.gov and the National Creditor Registration Service, the notice said. The court office said it is coordinating with BAE, which is investigating and working to restore operations.
"We are aware of a security incident that is isolated to the BNC system and have taken immediate steps to address it. We are coordinating closely with AOUSC on the response," a BAE Systems spokesperson said, according to Infosecurity Magazine. BAE Systems also confirmed the incident on Friday, Cybernews reported.
As of Friday evening, bankruptcy courts in at least 18 states had posted notices warning of disruptions, including Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, New York and Texas, Cybernews reported. Puerto Rico's bankruptcy court also issued an order about the outage, Cybernews reported. The Alaska court is postponing the scheduling of certain creditor meetings for cases filed after Oct. 9 until the center is back, Cybernews reported. Some courts report delays in sending notices, while others have rescheduled hearings or delayed proceedings, Cybernews reported.
Missed notices could lead to missed deadlines and delayed hearings for debtors, creditors and lawyers, Cybernews reported. The judiciary did not disclose the nature of the incident, when it began or whether any data was accessed, Infosecurity Magazine reported. It is unclear whether any bankruptcy records or sensitive financial information were taken, Cybernews reported.
What we know: A cyber incident at BAE Systems has halted federal bankruptcy notices nationwide, and courts in at least 18 states report disruptions.
What we don't: What kind of attack it was, whether any data was taken and when the notice system will be restored.
Where outlets agree Cybernews and Infosecurity Magazine both report that a cyber incident at BAE Systems has halted the federal Bankruptcy Noticing Center.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.