Cyberattack disrupts unemployment benefits in some states

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A cyberattack on a software company has disrupted unemployment benefits and job seeking assistance for thousands of people in several states.

In Tennessee, the website for unemployment benefits remained down Thursday morning after the vendor, Geographic Solutions Inc., told the state Sunday that service would be interrupted. Some 12,000 Tennesseans rely on the unemployment program, and for now, they're not getting their payments, and there's no timeline yet for when they will again.

“With a recession looming, it is unacceptable that Tennesseans cannot receive the unemployment benefits they deserve," said state Republican Sen. Paul Bailey, commerce and labor committee chairman.

Unemployment websites in several other states were affected too. In Louisiana, people seeking to file unemployment online are directed instead to use a call center instead. The website to file claims in Nebraska was taken offline and the state said it did not have an exact timeline for when it would be back up.

“Individuals cannot file for unemployment until the system is back online," Nebraska Department of Labor spokeswoman Grace Johnson said in an email.

It’s still unclear if it was a ransomware attack or some other type of cyber incident that affected Geographic Solutions. Nor it is clear how many states are affected.

Geographic Solutions' website was not working Thursday morning and phone messages seeking comment from the company were not immediately returned. The Florida-based company has said its clients include more than 35 states and territories.

Some state-run job seeking sites were also taken offline because of the attack, including Tennessee's. Florida said it was temporarily waiving a job search requirement for those receiving unemployment payments. Texas...