CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Albemarle County Communications Director Abbey Stumpf is revealing the cyber incident that necessitated a shutdown of internet for a few days in county offices was a ransomware attack, and county resident data such as names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and other similar identifiers may have been illegally accessed. The county release says “at this time, it appears likely the data of local government and public school employees was impacted, but there is no evidence to suggest the information is being used for harm.
The release notes, “While the investigation remains ongoing, some initial details have been confirmed. On the morning of June 11, 2025, Albemarle County discovered issues with its IT systems and quickly determined that it was the victim of a ransomware incident. When County staff discovered the incident, they immediately implemented security measures and engaged leading cybersecurity experts to assist in assessing and resolving the situation. Based on their investigation, it appears the incident began late in the afternoon on June 10, 2025, and was perpetrated overnight. During that time, information from the County’s systems may have been inappropriately accessed and/or obtained by an unauthorized user. State and federal law enforcement agencies were notified, and the County is fully cooperating with their investigations into this matter.”
The county out of an abundance of caution is offering complementary credit monitoring, fraud consultation, and identity theft restoration services for county employees and residents through respected provider Kroll.
Ransomware is a type of malicious software cybercriminals use to break into computer systems and lock up important data. They often demand payments claiming they’ll unlock the data upon reception, but they’ll often renege and ask for more. Stumpf writes that “as the county appropriate backups in place to restore data, no ransom was paid.
“To provide peace of mind, and because trust is the foundation of everything we do, we are offering free credit monitoring and identity protection resources to our constituents and employees. We recognize how important personal information is and take our responsibility to protect it seriously,” said Jeff Richardson, Albemarle County Executive. “While we have no evidence that anyone’s personal information has been misused, we want our community to feel reassured and supported. Virginia law does not require us to take this step, but we believe it is our responsibility to go beyond the minimum.”
Since the incident, Albemarle County has completed a comprehensive review of its systems, implemented additional safeguards, and is using this incident as an opportunity to further strengthen its cybersecurity posture for the future.
Click here for all the cyberattack information.
