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Kentucky Appellate Court Data Caught in Multi-State Cyber Data Breach

✇Firewall Daily – The Cyber Express
Por:Ashish Khaitan

Kentucky Appellate Court Data

The Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) has confirmed that Kentucky Appellate Court data was compromised in a cybersecurity breach traced to a third-party vendor. West Publishing Corporation, operating as Thomson Reuters Court Management Solutions (Thomson Reuters CMS), informed the AOC that the incident originated within file systems tied to its C-Track case management platform.  C-Track is the system relied upon by the Kentucky Supreme Court and the Kentucky Court of Appeals to manage case records. Because Kentucky does not currently use third-party vendors for trial court e-filing, trial-level records that were never part of an appeal remain unaffected. The exposure is limited to Kentucky Appellate Court data that had been stored within Thomson Reuters CMS/C-Track infrastructure.  According to Thomson Reuters CMS, an unauthorized third party gained access to and obtained court data from C-Track systems across several states, not Kentucky alone. The AOC noted that Kentucky's Appellate Courts continued to function normally throughout the incident and were not operationally disrupted. 

The Kentucky Appellate Court Data Breach Incident  

The AOC said it currently has no indication that the unauthorized party shared or distributed Kentucky's data with any outside individual or entity. Thomson Reuters CMS has stated it is coordinating with third-party cybersecurity specialists and law enforcement, and has assured every affected jurisdiction, including Kentucky, that mitigation measures have been implemented to reduce the risk of future unauthorized access.  Any individuals ultimately confirmed to be affected by the data breach will be contacted directly by Thomson Reuters CMS. Those notified will receive additional details about the incident along with 12 months of complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection, funded by the company. 

Scope of Impact Still Under Review 

Thomson Reuters CMS is currently working through each affected court system individually, reviewing what data was exposed and determining which people or organizations warrant notification. The company has indicated this review will take time given the multi-state scope of the breach.  The AOC, however, has pressed for a faster timeline, telling Thomson Reuters CMS that it expects prompt resolution and swift notification to anyone impacted. As of now, the total number of individuals or organizations affected — if any — has not been determined. Thomson Reuters CMS has committed to covering all costs associated with the breach and will handle notification once affected parties are identified. 

AOC Response and Oversight 

The AOC emphasized that safeguarding information entrusted to Kentucky's Judicial Branch remains a core responsibility. As the investigation proceeds, the office says it is closely tracking developments, evaluating any potential consequences for the Judicial Branch, and following its established cybersecurity protocols to protect the appellate case management system tied to the Kentucky Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.  The AOC is also taking part in ongoing status briefings with the National Center for State Courts and is coordinating with officials in other states affected by the same Thomson Reuters CMS/C-Track breach, as the response to this data breach continues to unfold on a multi-jurisdictional scale. 
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