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EXFORD COUNTY, Mich.- A handful of residents spoke up at Wednesday's board of commissioners meeting about the ongoing cyber-attack that hit the county in November. The attack has crippled the register of deeds office, halting all real estate transactions for two months.

    County Administrator Joe Porterfield reported that a software provider told him Tuesday that a corrupted backup system might be usable again, but no timeline was given for when this fix could happen. Residents are growing desperate, pleading for a solution to their financial and logistical woes.

    "We're being held hostage," one resident said during public comment. "We have two houses now, paying heat, propane tanks, taxes, payments - thousands of dollars a month because this can't get resolved."

    Porterfield explained that the county has been working with data recovery teams to find old backups, ultimately recovering data from 1986 when the county first went digital. However, there's no guarantee that this will be enough to resolve the issue.

    Software providers had previously said they couldn't make any backup systems usable again, but now suggest creating a new database might offer a chance at resolution. Porterfield expressed hope for a quick fix, but residents are worried about losing their sales and facing financial ruin.

    "I'm an anxiety mess every day," one resident said. "Buyers are getting anxious too - they're saying forget it and walking away."

    The situation has caught the attention of local lawmakers, who are reportedly looking into the matter. Several sellers have sought legal advice as they navigate this uncertain landscape.