CAMPBELL COUNTY, Tenn. (WOKI / WVLT) – Federal and state investigators are working to determine the cause and scope of a cyber-related incident that affected parts of Campbell County government systems.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirmed Monday that it is assisting with an investigation being led by the FBI.
According to Campbell County Mayor Jack Lynch, the incident impacted only certain county systems. As of Monday afternoon, county email access remained unavailable, though the majority of county services continued operating normally.
Lynch said county officials acted quickly after discovering the issue, contacting law enforcement investigators as well as an outside information technology and cybersecurity firm to help contain and assess the situation.
“We reached out for assistance immediately once we became aware of what had happened,” Lynch indicated, emphasizing that efforts are underway to restore affected systems and determine the extent of the disruption.
Because the investigation remains active, federal officials are releasing few details about the incident.
FBI Tennessee Public Affairs Officer Darrell DeBusk cited Department of Justice policy in declining to discuss specifics of the case.
“Department of Justice policy prohibits the FBI from confirming or denying an investigation, but the public should be assured that the FBI takes seriously cybercrime intrusions and will work with our interagency partners to identify, pursue, and defeat all those who participate in cybercrime,” DeBusk said.
Officials have not said whether personal information, financial data or county records were compromised. They also have not identified the type of cyber incident involved.
Despite the ongoing investigation, Lynch said county residents should know that most government functions remain unaffected.
The FBI, TBI and county officials continue working to assess the incident and restore full system functionality.
