Tyler Technologies hit by ransomware attack, shuts down some IT systems
File Photo / Jim Neuger
Rick Simonds is the Yarmouth-based vice president and general manager of cybersecurity solutions at Tyler Technologies Inc., which was still recovering Friday morning from a ransomware attack.
Tyler Technologies Inc. (NYSE: TYL), a Texas-based government software provider with a major presence in Maine, said Thursday afternoon the company’s internal information technology system was the victim of a ransomware attack and that the Tyler website and access to external IT systems have been shut down.
The hack has not affected software Tyler hosts for clients and an investigation is underway, the company said in a statement posted on the site, which otherwise was idled.
Tyler learned early Wednesday that an “unauthorized intruder” had disrupted access to some of its internal IT and phone systems. The company closed external access to its systems “out of an abundance of caution,” and has begun working to restore affected equipment, the statement read.
Tyler is the country’s largest provider of software and technology services to state and local governments, with a wide variety of applications and clients in all 50 states. In Maine, the company employs 940 people across offices in Yarmouth, Falmouth and Bangor.
Because its client software is hosted separately from internal systems, the company said, “all indications are that the impact of this incident is limited to our internal corporate network and phone systems, and that there has been no impact on software we host for our clients.”
The attack is unrelated to upcoming elections or voting records, Tyler added in the statement. “Users of our open data solution may use our platform to post aggregated information about election returns, or to provide information about polling stations and campaign finance, but Tyler does not store individual voting records.”
Tyler has contacted law enforcement about the incident and is working with outside cybersecurity experts to fix the problem. The company said it would not provide further details pending the investigation, and the website remained offline late Friday morning.
In 2018, Tyler acquired Portland-based Sage Data Security LLC. Its president and CEO, Rick Simonds, became vice president and general manager of cybersecurity solutions at Tyler, overseeing a team of 55, mostly in Yarmouth.
Simonds discussed cybercrime in an interview with Mainebiz last year, saying, “A lot of businesses, big or small, think, ‘It won’t happen to me, it’s going to happen to the other guy.’ The reality is that attacks are often not targeted — they are opportunistic. Criminals are using automated tools, and everyone has an equal chance of getting hit with some type of malware.”
Shares of Tyler opened for trading at $334.41 Friday, after reaching more than $341 Thursday morning. The company has a market capitalization of $13.5 billion.
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