Abilene, Texas, Shuts Down Systems After Cyberattack

TL;DR

On April 18, 2025, Abilene, Texas, experienced a cyberattack that led to server issues, prompting the shutdown of affected systems. Emergency services remain operational, and no financial irregularities have been found.

Abilene, Texas, Shuts Down Systems Following Cyberattack

On April 18, 2025, Abilene, Texas, faced a significant cyberattack that disrupted its server systems, leading to a partial shutdown of affected networks. The city swiftly implemented its incident response plan to mitigate the impact and secure critical assets. Emergency services continued to operate without disruption, and no financial irregularities have been detected thus far.

Incident Details and Response

The cyberattack was first detected when city officials received reports of unresponsive servers within their internal network. In response, the IT department immediately disconnected affected systems to prevent further damage and launched an investigation with the help of industry-leading cybersecurity experts. Relevant authorities were also notified to assist in determining the nature and scope of the incident.

“On April 18, 2025, City officials received reports of unresponsive servers within our internal network and immediately began executing our incident response plan and disconnecting affected and critical assets to secure our systems.” ¹

Current Status and Precautions

While the IT department has been working diligently to restore services, some impacted systems remain offline as a precautionary measure. Emergency services continue to function normally, and there have been no reports of financial irregularities related to the incident.

Due to the system issues, card payment systems at government offices are temporarily unavailable. Residents are advised to use cash, checks, or online card payments. The city has assured residents that utilities will not be shut off for late payments during this period.

“Water utilities customers are still able to pay their Municipal Services Statements. While systems and telephones are being brought back online, you may experience a slower than normal response to service requests. We are reviewing email requests and will respond as quickly as possible. Due to system issues, we will not shut off past-due accounts.” ¹

Ongoing Monitoring and Recovery Efforts

The IT team continues to monitor for any unusual activity, and city officials have shared emergency contact information. Full recovery is expected to take some time, and officials are urging patience and cooperation from residents.

Previous Cyberattacks in Texas

This incident is not the first of its kind in Texas. In May 2023, the City of Dallas experienced a ransomware attack that led to the shutdown of affected IT systems to prevent the threat from spreading. The Royal ransomware group claimed responsibility for the attack, which impacted various services, including the police department ².

Other government organizations in Texas, such as Dallas County and Wichita County, have also fallen victim to ransomware attacks in the past ³.

Additional Resources

For further insights, check:

• City of Dallas Ransomware Attack
• Royal Ransomware Alert by CISA and FBI
• Dallas County Ransomware Attack
• Wichita County Data Breach

References

1. City of Abilene (2025). “Notice of Security Incident”. Retrieved 2025-04-22. ↩︎ ↩︎²

2. Security Affairs (2023). “City of Dallas Ransomware Attack”. Retrieved 2025-04-22. ↩︎

3. Security Affairs (2023). “Dallas County Ransomware Attack”. Retrieved 2025-04-22. ↩︎