Maryland Real Property Search Tool Taken Offline Following Suspicious Activity
Learn More
The Maryland Department of Information Technology (DoIT) detected suspicious activity on servers hosting the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) application on April 14, 2026.
State officials immediately took the Real Property Search tool offline to contain the potential threat and begin a forensic investigation. The shutdown has disrupted critical real estate workflows, including title searches, appraisals, and property closings, particularly during the mid-April business filing season.
Initial analysis suggests the affected systems primarily contained information that is already accessible to the public. The potentially compromised data includes:
- Public property records
- Property assessment values
- Ownership information
- Tax map details
- Business annual report metadata
The specific attack vector and the number of affected individuals is not disclosed.
Maryland authorities replaced the search tool with an emergency maintenance notice and directed users to contact local Real Property Assessment County Offices for manual record assistance. The state warned residents and businesses to avoid third-party websites or unofficial links claiming to provide SDAT records, as these sites may be insecure or fraudulent. The SDAT contact center and local offices remain operational to handle the increased volume of manual inquiries during the system outage.
