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BATON ROUGE (AP) — One in ten of Louisiana’s 5,000 computer network servers that power operations across state government were damaged by this week’s cyberattack, a key technology official told lawmakers Friday.
Neal Underwood, Louisiana’s deputy chief information officer, said the ransomware attack wasn’t catastrophic to state government. No data was lost, and no ransom was paid. But Underwood said the effect for some agencies was significant, particularly at the Office of Motor Vehicles, which shuttered its branch locations all week to repair its computer network.
“I can assure you that none of the actual data in our enterprise was inappropriately accessed,” Underwood told the joint House and Senate budget committee.
Technology staff has been working around the clock since the attack to get online systems and services back up and running. Underwood expects all state agencies to resume normal operations by Monday. In some instances, he said computer systems have to be rebuilt from the state’s backup and recovery systems.
In addition to the 10% of network servers disrupted by the early Monday morning attack, Underwood said more than 1,500 of the state’s 30,000 computers were damaged.
An investigation into the source of the cyberattack is ongoing.
“Who are the bad guys? Where are they from?” asked Sen. Francis Thompson, a Democrat from Delhi.
Underwood said the ransomware likely came from outside the United States.
“This was a sophisticated and coordinated attack,” he said. “This was not some malcontent teenager in their parents’ basement.”
The attackers had access to Louisiana’s government computer servers for “a matter of hours” before they were discovered, Underwood said. The Office of Technology Services immediately shut down external access to network servers when the breach was discovered. That caused a wider disruption of state government websites and email than the actual ransomware attack, Underwood said.
Gov. John Bel Edwards planned to issue an emergency declaration Friday to ensure that people and businesses don’t face fines or penalties because of the cyberattack. For example, a driver won’t face a ticket if a driver’s license expired this week because the motor vehicle office locations weren’t open to renew that license.
The ransomware attack happened just two days after statewide elections for governor, legislative seats and other positions around Louisiana. Sen. Mack “Bodi” White, a Republican from Central, questioned whether that could cause problems for certification of election results or changed numbers in election returns.
“It happened at a very inconvenient time,” he said. “A lot of the conspiracy theorists are calling me.”
As White asked questions, Rep. Cameron Henry, the Jefferson Parish Republican who chairs the budget committee, received a text from Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin. Ardoin said the cyberattack caused “no impact whatsoever” to the election returns and results will be certified Tuesday as scheduled, Henry said.
Sen. Sharon Hewitt, a Slidell Republican, praised the quick reaction from Louisiana’s technology services office.
“I do believe it could have been much worse,” she said.
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Lisa Hulin Drash, age 56, a native of Morgan City and resident of San Antonio, Texas, passed to her final resting place on Saturday, November 23, 2019. She was surrounded by those who loved her.
Lisa was preceded in death by her father, Paul Hulin.
She is survived by her husband of 37 years, Steve Drash; daughter, Kayla Drash Nichols and her husband, Chris; son, Royce Drash and his wife, Megan; grandchildren, Madelyn Drash and Briel Nichols; mother, Helen Hulin; brothers, Albert Hulin and David Hulin; godchildren, Amanda Kirkham, Nicholas Ables and Kailub Feazell; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Her family would also like to extend their appreciation to Christus Hospice Care and to Sylvia Dominguez for their love, care and support in her final days.
Services will be Wednesday, November 27, 2019, beginning at 8:30 a.m. until entombment at Mission Burial Park North in San Antonio. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in her memory to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

In his first press conference after a bruising reelection campaign, Gov. John Bel Edwards said he looked forward to working with President Donald Trump, who stumped for his opponent, and the Republican-dominated lLegislature.
He pledged to support policies “rooted in compassion and common sense” and said he would oppose anything he believed would return the state to structural deficits.
Edwards said he would be open to supporting an early rollback of the 0.45 cent temporary sales tax that cemented last year’s budget deal if the Revenue Estimating Conference says the change is not likely to threaten the state’s fiscal stability.
“I will fight any effort to return our state to uncertainty, instability and deficits,” he said.
Asked if he planned to get involved in the elections for the upcoming term’s legislative leadership, he did not answer the question but said he intended to have a good working relationship with leadership and rank-and-file members. At the beginning of his first term, Edwards tried to install his preferred choice as House speaker as previous governors have done but was rebuffed by the Republican majority.
“If they want independence [from the governor] that’s great,” Edwards said. “But obstructionism and independence are not the same thing.”
Asked if Eddie Rispone, whom he narrowly defeated in the Nov. 16 runoff, had proposed any good ideas during the campaign, Edwards had a simple answer: “No.”
That response drew a rebuke on Twitter from the Louisiana chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business, noting that nearly half of the Louisiana electorate voted against him yet “JBE can’t acknowledge good points made during campaign?”
Edwards reiterated his priorities will include more funding for education at all levels, starting with early childhood and also including more pay raises for teachers as part of his effort to raise teacher pay to the regional average. He said he will continue to fight for a higher minimum wage and legislation to address the pay gap between men and women, which legislators repeatedly blocked during his first term.
In a brief phone call, Trump congratulated Edwards on what the president described as an unexpected victory, Edwards said.
“He said that obviously I had run a great campaign because he didn’t want me to win,” Edwards said. They agreed to continue the good working relationship they had before the campaign, Edwards added.
Edwards noted to reporters that he hoped the federal trade war with China, which has been a drag on Louisiana’s economy, would be resolved soon.
While elections often bring staff turnover, Edwards said he had not yet had any discussions about changes with his cabinet and top staff.
Discussing the recent ransomware attack on state government, Edwards said no data had been lost and no ransom was paid. Though most systems were fully operational by Tuesday, Edwards said the Office of Motor Vehicles would remain closed until Monday.
Edwards touted recent improvements to the state’s cybersecurity capabilities but suggested more work could be done.
“It is the new normal,” he said of the threat of cyberattacks, “and it’s not going to go away.”

St. Mary Community Action Agency is seeking sponsors for their 2019 Adopt a Family program. This program will support the underprivileged families in our parish.
“Our hope is to provide them with a ‘Merry Christmas’ through the blessing of gifts and food,” Almetra J. Franklin, Chief Executive Officer/Head Start Administrator, said in a news release.
The goal is to assist families within the Head Start service areas of St. Mary and Vermillion parishes. Each sponsored family will receive a food basket, clothing and a gift per child.
“We are asking prospective sponsors for a donation of $100 per family, but all donations will be accepted,” Franklin said.
Each organization will be invited to present gifts to their adopted family. The program will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10 at the central office location in the Peter Pan gymnasium, 1407 Barrow Street in Franklin.
Donations should be submitted no later than Monday, Dec. 2. All checks or money orders should be payable to St. Mary CAA.
Donations can be mailed to: ATTN: Adopt a Family program, 1407 Barrow Street, Franklin, La. 70538.
For more information, contact Summer Jones or Claudette Yarber at 337-828-5703.