ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (WVIR) – Albemarle County fell victim to a ransomware attack in June that likely compromised the personal information of government employees and school staff, officials announced Thursday.
The county discovered the cybersecurity incident on the morning of June 11, after noticing problems with its IT systems.
Investigators determined the attack began in the late afternoon of June 10 and continued overnight, during which unauthorized users may have accessed sensitive county data.
The breach likely impacted data belonging to local government and public school employees.
County resident information may have also been affected, though the investigation is ongoing. The illegally accessed data may include names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and other personal identifiers.
Officials stress there is currently no evidence the stolen information is being used maliciously.
Albemarle County immediately implemented security measures and brought in cybersecurity experts when the attack was discovered.
The county also notified state and federal law enforcement agencies and is cooperating fully with their investigations.
Officials say they did not pay the ransom demand because appropriate data backups were in place.
Albemarle County is now providing complimentary credit monitoring, fraud consultation and identity theft restoration services to anyone impacted through Kroll, a cybersecurity firm.
“We recognize how important personal information is and take our responsibility to protect it seriously,” said County Executive Jeff Richardson. “While we have no evidence that anyone’s personal information has been misused, we want our community to feel reassured and supported.”
The county has since completed a comprehensive system review and implemented additional safeguards.
Do you have a story idea? Send us your news tip here.
Copyright 2025 WVIR. All rights reserved.
