A ransomware attack on August 5, 2025, disrupted the City of Greenville’s critical systems, crippling access to police records, utility billing, and administrative functions. While 911 emergency services remained operational, intermittent phone outages and busy signals were reported. The Greenville Electric Utility System (GEUS) was severely impacted, halting online payments and billing access, forcing residents to pay in person. Late fees and service shutoffs were temporarily suspended, with adjustments deferred to future bills.The city filed a catastrophe notice with the Texas Attorney General, delaying responses to 20+ Public Information Act requests for weeks. Though no evidence of employee or resident data compromise was found, the attack paralyzed core municipal operations, including record retrieval. The incident mirrors a broader trend of ransomware targeting local governments, such as Dallas (2023), where systems were frozen for weeks and 30,000+ residents’ data was exposed. Tarrant County also faced a $700,000 ransom demand in 2024 after taxpayer data was leaked on the dark web. Recovery timelines remain uncertain, with some services potentially restored by August 26, 2025, but full system access may take weeks.
Source: https://www.keranews.org/news/2025-08-26/ransomware-attack-city-greenville-texas-records
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/city-of-greenville-tx
"id": "cit808082725",
"linkid": "city-of-greenville-tx",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "6/2023",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization's existence"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'residents and employees (no '
'data compromise reported)',
'industry': 'public administration',
'location': 'Greenville, Texas, USA',
'name': 'City of Greenville',
'type': 'municipal government'},
{'customers_affected': 'all utility customers (payment '
'and billing disruptions)',
'industry': 'energy/utilities',
'location': 'Greenville, Texas, USA',
'name': 'Greenville Electric Utility System (GEUS)',
'type': 'public utility'}],
'customer_advisories': ['utility billing adjustments (credits/debits for '
'over/under-payments)',
'no late fees or shutoffs during outage'],
'data_breach': {'sensitivity_of_data': 'none',
'type_of_data_compromised': 'none (no evidence)'},
'date_detected': '2025-08-05',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2025-08-05',
'description': 'A cybersecurity breach in Greenville has affected the city’s '
'ability to access police and other records. The city’s '
'servers were attacked by a ransomware group on Aug. 5, 2025. '
'Emergency 911 services remained operational, but some phone '
'lines experienced intermittent outages. Greenville Electric '
'Utility System (GEUS) was impacted, halting online payments '
'and billing access. No evidence suggests employee or resident '
'data was compromised. The city filed a catastrophe notice '
'with the Texas Attorney General’s office, delaying responses '
'to Public Information Act requests.',
'impact': {'data_compromised': 'none (no evidence of employee or resident '
'data affected)',
'downtime': {'end': None,
'estimated_recovery': {'optimistic': '2025-08-26',
'pessimistic': 'weeks from '
'2025-08-26'},
'services_affected': ['Public Information Act request '
'responses',
'online utility payments',
'billing information access'],
'start': '2025-08-05'},
'identity_theft_risk': 'none (no evidence of data compromise)',
'operational_impact': ['delayed Public Information Act responses',
'halted utility shutoffs and late fees',
'in-person payment requirements for '
'utilities',
'credit/debit adjustments for '
'over/under-payments'],
'payment_information_risk': 'none (no evidence of data compromise)',
'systems_affected': ['police records',
'city administrative records',
'Greenville Electric Utility System (GEUS) '
'billing and payment systems',
'phone lines (intermittent outages)']},
'investigation_status': 'ongoing (as of 2025-08-26)',
'ransomware': {'data_encryption': True},
'references': [{'source': 'KERA News'},
{'date_accessed': '2025-08-05 (estimated)',
'source': 'City of Greenville news release'},
{'date_accessed': '2025-08-05 (estimated)',
'source': 'Texas Attorney General’s office catastrophe '
'notice'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': [{'agency': 'Texas '
'Attorney '
'General’s '
'office',
'date': '2025-08-05 '
'(estimated)',
'type': 'catastrophe '
'notice'}]},
'response': {'communication_strategy': {'catastrophe_notice_filed': {'content': 'delay '
'in '
'Public '
'Information '
'Act '
'request '
'responses',
'recipient': 'Texas '
'Attorney '
'General’s '
'office'},
'media_coverage': True,
'public_statement': True},
'containment_measures': ['isolated affected systems',
'implemented protective measures'],
'incident_response_plan_activated': True,
'law_enforcement_notified': True,
'recovery_measures': ['paused utility shutoffs',
'waived late fees',
'enabled in-person payments',
'credit/debit adjustments for billing '
'discrepancies'],
'third_party_assistance': {'engaged': True,
'purpose': 'mitigation and service '
'restoration',
'type': 'cybersecurity firm'}},
'stakeholder_advisories': ['Public Information Act request delays '
'communicated to requesters',
'utility customers advised on in-person payment '
'options'],
'title': 'Ransomware Attack on Greenville City Servers',
'type': 'ransomware'}