City of Killeen hit by ransomware
Learn More
The city of Killeen, Texas, has reported it was the victim of a ransomware attack on Wednesday, 7th of August 2024 which disrupted various municipal services, including city government emails and the municipal court system.
The ransomware attack led to the encryption of the city's IT systems, including all servers. While the city's financial systems were reportedly unaffected, external email communications were down, and printing capabilities were disabled. The Municipal Court and Transfer Station were also impacted, though services have since been restored.
As a precaution, the city has severed its connections with the Bell County Network. The city is actively working to restore full functionality to all systems and has committed to providing continuous updates to residents as the situation develops.
The attack was attributed to the BlackSuit Ransomware group, a known cybercriminal organization that targets critical infrastructure sectors. The hackers left a threatening message to the city, claiming that all essential files had been encrypted and stolen, with the potential for public release. The hackers offered the city the opportunity to regain access to the files if they agreed to negotiate.
The exposed data and the number of affected individuals is not disclosed.
Killeen city officials have urged residents to monitor their financial accounts for any suspicious activity, although they stated there is no evidence that personal or financial information has been compromised.
The city has not disclosed whether they have paid the ransom or the amount demanded.
Update - as of 1st of October 2024, The City of Killeen reports that the breach did not compromise any citizens' personal data, and all servers were restored within a week. Additionally, the city's 1,200 desktops and laptops were unaffected by the cyber intrusion.
