Robeson County sheriff says investigation ‘ongoing’ following data breach, cyberattack

ROBESON COUNTY, N.C. (WBTW) — Robeson County authorities continue to investigate circumstances behind an April data breach that led to confidential files being posted to dark corners of the internet.

“It seems some people have taken pleasure in sharing some of the stolen confidential files, putting many people at risk. This is a serious matter and not a time to seek fame at the expense of others, Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said in a statement on Saturday.

“Several people contacted us over the last two days indicating their own computers have now been compromised because of a link that was being shared to access a web browser that would eventually lead them to some of our stolen data from our servers.”

Several county departments on April 17 were impacted by the cyberattack, but officials said services to the public would continue.

North Carolina prohibits state and local government agencies from paying ransoms connected to cyberattacks — the nation’s first such law.

Wilkins said he’s been in contact with authorities from other agencies that have experienced cyberattacks.

“The difference is, they live in counties and towns in which no one was attempting to gain attention or cause danger by posting investigatory information,” he said. “We, on the other hand, have a very few people who are continuing their quest to ridicule our agency, our staff.”

Wilkins said more information on the attack’s details is expected to be released pending legal review.

“While we hated to see this cyberattack occur, everything is being done to avoid this again,” he said. “Even with the best of our efforts, technology and science changes daily, and we pray it doesn’t occur again.”

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Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.

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