Abilene City, Texas, Takes Systems Offline Following Cyberattack

Abilene, Texas, has taken a proactive measure to secure its systems after a cyberattack caused server issues, resulting in the shutdown of various city services. The incident occurred on April 18, 2025, and according to the city's notice of security incident, emergency services remained operational throughout the event.

The incident was reported by city officials who received reports of unresponsive servers within their internal network. Immediately, they executed their incident response plan and disconnected affected and critical assets to secure their systems. "We also launched an investigation and engaged industry-leading cybersecurity experts to determine the nature and scope of the incident and notified relevant authorities," states the notice.

The IT department worked tirelessly to restore services, but some of the impacted systems remain offline as a precautionary measure. However, emergency services continue to operate without any disruption. The experts investigating the incident have found no signs of financial irregularities following the event.

Impact on City Services

The cyberattack has affected various city services, including card systems at government offices. As a result, only cash, checks, or online card payments are accepted for certain transactions. However, the city has announced that it will not shut off utilities for late payments.

Residents can still pay their Municipal Services Statements by paying with water utilities customers' accounts. While systems and telephones are being brought back online, there may be a slower than normal response to service requests. The IT team continues to monitor for unusual activity and is reviewing email requests, promising to respond as quickly as possible.

A Precedent for Cybersecurity

This incident is reminiscent of the ransomware attack that targeted the City of Dallas, Texas, in May 2023. To prevent the threat from spreading within their network, the city shut down its impacted IT systems. The Royal ransomware group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Other government organizations have suffered ransomware attacks in the past, including Dallas County and Wichita County. This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of cybersecurity measures to protect against such threats.

As the investigation continues, city officials are working closely with industry-leading cybersecurity experts to determine the nature and scope of the incident and take necessary steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Contact Information

If you have any concerns or questions regarding this incident, please contact the city's emergency contacts. The full recovery will take time, but officials assure that every effort is being made to restore services as quickly as possible.

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