Louisiana: No data lost, no ransom paid in Louisiana cyber attack; Ardoin says no impact on state elections | Mark Ballard/The Advocate
Monday’s ransomware attack, which crippled about 10% of the state’s computer network servers just hours after votes were tallied in statewide elections for governor, legislative seats and other positions prompted many to look for intrigue, a legislative panel heard Friday. “A lot of the conspiracy theorists are calling me,” said state Sen. Bodi White, R-Central. He questioned whether the attack, which kept many in state government from using their computers throughout much of the week, could cause problems for certification of election results or changed numbers in election returns. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin said no. “Nothing impacted our system,” Ardoin said in an interview Friday. The website was down for a while. But, for the most part, the election office’s databases for voters and votes are separate from the state system.