Passaic County Government: Passaic County government hit by malware attack. What we know

Passaic County Government Hit by Malware Attack, Disrupting IT Services

On March 4, Passaic County, New Jersey, disclosed a malware attack that disrupted government IT systems, including phone services across county offices. Officials confirmed the incident in a statement, noting that federal and state authorities were assisting in the investigation and containment efforts. As of 5:30 p.m. that day, phone lines remained offline, with no immediate timeline for restoration.

The county’s spokesperson indicated that the attack may not be isolated, as other local governments in New Jersey have reportedly faced similar incidents. However, no details were provided on additional affected systems or whether personal data was compromised.

This incident follows a June 2023 ransomware attack on Montclair, another North Jersey municipality, where the extent of data exposure remained unclear. Passaic County has not released further updates on the attack’s origin or impact.

Source: https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/passaic/2026/03/04/passaic-county-nj-government-malware-attack-hacked/88988391007/

County of Passaic cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/county-of-passaic

"id": "COU1772670337",
"linkid": "county-of-passaic",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "3/2026",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "6",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the economy of geographical region"

{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Public Sector',
                        'location': 'Passaic County, New Jersey, USA',
                        'name': 'Passaic County Government',
                        'type': 'Government'}],
 'date_detected': '2024-03-04',
 'date_publicly_disclosed': '2024-03-04',
 'description': 'Passaic County, New Jersey, disclosed a malware attack that '
                'disrupted government IT systems, including phone services '
                'across county offices. Federal and state authorities were '
                'assisting in the investigation and containment efforts. Phone '
                'lines remained offline with no immediate timeline for '
                'restoration.',
 'impact': {'downtime': 'Phone lines offline as of 5:30 p.m. on March 4',
            'operational_impact': 'Disruption of county office services',
            'systems_affected': 'Government IT systems, phone services'},
 'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
 'references': [{'date_accessed': '2024-03-04',
                 'source': 'Incident disclosure by Passaic County Government'}],
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Public statement issued',
              'third_party_assistance': 'Federal and state authorities'},
 'title': 'Passaic County Government Malware Attack',
 'type': 'Malware Attack'}