Texas says half of agencies hit by ransomware have recovered

Texas authorities say they aren't aware of any money paid to hackers who used ransomware to target more than 20 communities last month.

The Texas Department of Information Resources said in a statement Thursday that more than half of the local governments hit by ransomware in August have returned to normal operations. The department didn't detail what the remaining governments are doing to recover from the attacks.

Federal authorities are still investigating.

The statement didn't provide any information about the hackers' demands or explain how the local governments were compromised. The department has said it's likely the "coordinated" attacks came from a single source.

Ransomware is a type of malware, or malicious software, typically spread through emails containing links or attachments that encrypt a user's files or systems, preventing them from accessing the information.

© 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.