By Allison Peck
County commissioners to meet Monday morning as security checks continue on city and county systems
The Lincoln County Courthouse is tentatively scheduled to reopen to the public at noon Monday, October 12, following a cybersecurity breach that disrupted internet and phone services for North Platte and Lincoln County government offices.
County officials say work over the weekend to restore systems has been successful. However, additional security checks are being completed with assistance from state partners before the courthouse and other county offices reopen.
The Lincoln County Commissioners meeting will proceed as scheduled at 9 a.m. Monday in the County Commissioners Room. The meeting will not be livestreamed because of the computer system disruptions, according to information provided by county emergency management officials.
The incident began around 8:45 a.m. Friday, October 9, when city and county internet systems were affected by what officials described as a cybersecurity breach. The disruption disabled computers and telephone services, forcing the courthouse to close to the public later that morning. Some city and county offices also experienced phone outages.
Officials said the breach had been contained Friday evening, but affected software was shut down and disconnected from internet access as a precaution while cybersecurity experts worked to identify and address the problem.
Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen signed an emergency proclamation authorizing deployment of the Nebraska National Guard Cyber Protection Team to assist local officials. The Nebraska Emergency Management Agency has also been coordinating with state and local partners, along with cybersecurity experts from the private sector.
Despite the disruption, officials emphasized that 911 and emergency services remained operational. Phones at the North Platte Public Safety Building continued to work, although the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office phone lines were affected.
Officials also reported that city and county utility services, bill payments and financial systems remained secure. At the time of the initial announcement, no sensitive or pertinent information had been identified as compromised.
Monday's planned reopening remains tentative as officials work to verify that systems are secure. County offices are expected to remain closed to the public until noon, while the commissioners meeting proceeds at its regular time.
Additional updates are expected as recovery efforts continue.