The Pennsylvania Senate Democrats have been hit Attack.Ransom by a ransomware attack Attack.Ransom that has locked senators and employees out of their computer network since the early morning hours of Friday , state officials told NBC News . In a statement , Sen. Jay Costa , the Democratic leader , said the Democrats were working with law enforcement agencies and Microsoft to resolve the problem . He did not say what payment has been demanded Attack.Ransom to unlock the data , or whether the attackers had suggested any political motive . In a ransomware attack Attack.Ransom , hackers inject a network with malware that typically encrypts important data , and then demand payment Attack.Ransom in exchange for a key that releases the data . They threaten to destroy the data if they are n't paid Attack.Ransom . The Democratic senators in the state capital of Harrisburg are on their own computer network and there is no indication that other state agencies of the Republicans have been affected , said a state official who declined to be identified . The official said the Democrats had no idea whether they were targeted for any specific reason . A spokeswoman for the FBI was looking into whether that agency had been called in . A spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Democrats , Stacey Witalec , declined to say whether the data was backed up elsewhere or whether the attackers had identified themselves or any motive .