Matagorda County, Texas declares state of disaster after cyberattack

A cybersecurity incident has hit Matagorda County, Texas, prompting County Judge Bobby Seiferman to issue a disaster declaration for the county. The attack, which was discovered on Friday, 24th of January 2025, has impacted multiple internal county systems through what officials described as an "unauthorized access point."

The breach has caused substantial disruption to county operations, particularly affecting government payment processing systems. Emergency services remain unaffected but in-person payments at government offices have been suspended. To accommodate residents, especially those with tax payments due at the end of January, the county has established drop boxes near the Matagorda County tax office and is accepting mailed check payments.

The county has engaged cybersecurity professionals and multiple state agencies to handle the incident, including  the Department of Public Safety Cybersecurity Division, the Texas Department of Emergency Management, and the Department of Informational Services.

The nature of the attack, whether there was any data theft and the number of affected individuals is not disclosed. The county serves a population of around 37,000-40,000 residents.

The FBI has been notified and is involved in the investigation. As of Sunday, the county reported some progress in restoring online services.