Title: Harrison County Commission Reports Cybersecurity Incident, Implements Immediate Response Measures

Harrison County government offices in West Virginia experienced a cybersecurity incident affecting certain systems in their network, according to an announcement from the Harrison County Commission. The incident was identified recently and prompted an immediate response, including engagement of external cybersecurity experts and notification of law enforcement.

County Administrator Laura Pysz-Laulis confirmed that the investigation remains active and in its early stages, with officials still determining the scope and nature of the breach. The disruption impacted regular county services on Thursday and Friday, following the public announcement.

A public service announcement issued around noon on April 23 advised residents to call ahead before visiting county offices due to ongoing IT and network issues. The announcement specifically urged individuals to confirm service availability before going to the courthouse or General Services Building.

WBOY reported multiple accounts of residents being turned away while attempting to pay taxes on Friday. Harrison County Sheriff Robert Matheny stated that the incident affected both the Harrison County Courthouse and the Sheriff’s Tax Office.

The county’s website appeared to be offline during the disruption, although officials had not publicly confirmed whether this was related to the cybersecurity incident at the time of reporting.

This incident follows a separate cybersecurity event affecting Harrison County Schools in January 2025, during which unauthorized access to some computer systems caused a temporary network outage throughout the district. That earlier incident, disclosed by the Harrison County Board of Education, involved the likely compromise of personal information for some past and current employees, though officials noted it was too early to conclude whether student data was affected.

In response to the 2025 school district incident, officials partnered with law enforcement and cybersecurity forensic teams to investigate the breach and assess risks. They committed to sending notification letters to impacted employees and providing credit monitoring and identity protection services.

As of the latest update, the Harrison County Commission continues to work with external experts to address the current network disruption, emphasizing that the investigation is ongoing and further details will be shared as they become available.