Across the country, cyberattacks are hitting smaller governments, causing massive disruptions. In fact, 44% of local governments were hit by a ransomware attack in the past year. These aren’t just statistics—they’re real stories of communities affected by downtime, financial loss, and broken trust.
- Baltimore, Maryland: Recovering from the ransomware incident cost taxpayers more than $18 million.
- Atlanta, Georgia: Recovering from the ransomware incident cost taxpayers $17 million.
- Dallas, Texas: The Dallas City Council agreed to pay $8.5 million for expenses related to a ransomware attack in May 2023.
- New Orleans, Louisana: A cyberattack brought city services to a standstill, costing $1.8 million and leaving the community vulnerable for weeks.
- Riviera Beach, FL: A small city of 35,000 had to pay a $600,000 ransom to regain control of its systems.
- Jackson County, Georgia: A ransomware attack paralyzed the county’s operations, forcing them to pay $400,000 just to regain control of their systems.