Kansas county spends more $70K to end cyberattack

WESTMORELAND, Kan. (AP) — A northeast Kansas county paid more than $70,000 to end a cyberattack that crippled its computer systems for about two weeks. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the attackers had demanded more than $1 million. But Pottawatomie County administrator Chad Kinsley said the county told the hackers that it was small, with just about 25,000 residents, and couldn’t even come close to meeting their demand. The county said in a news release that it instead paid $71,250 to the attackers and $356 in exchange fees.