Cyber Incident Victim: Chelan County
Date:
May 2026
Location:
United States of America
Summary
A malware attack forced Chelan County to shut down its network, disrupting services and prompting an emergency declaration that allowed commissioners to approve contracts without formal bidding. Officials later regained access to the financial server, enabling payroll processing to resume, while departments canceled qualification requests, held project bids, and provided temporary phone and email contacts for the public to reach building inspection and other urgent services.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 0 motives | 0 techniques |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On May 24, Chelan County experienced a malware attack that prompted a network shutdown. By June 5, officials reported that access to the financial server had been recovered. The restored financial server enabled the county to process payrolls again. Jill FitzSimmons, the county spokesperson, confirmed that the financial server was back online and that payroll processing could resume. In response to the ongoing system shutdown, the Chelan County Commissioners signed an emergency declaration. The emergency declaration grants commissioners the authority to approve contracts without undergoing the formal bidding process. The commissioners cited the extreme circumstances caused by the network outage as the justification for the declaration.
Throughout the recovery period, the county has been using its Facebook page to share updates with residents. The updates describe how members of the public can interact with various county departments while systems remain limited. The economic services department canceled requests for qualifications for several project assessments. The public works department also canceled requests for qualifications for several project assessments. Both departments placed project bids on hold until phone and email services are restored. The building department instructed the public to submit building inspection requests either in person or by calling the temporary phone number (509) 679-7402. The temporary phone line operates from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The building department noted that the phone number is only temporary and will be used only while the system outage persists. For other urgent inquiries, the building department provided a temporary email address, [email protected].