Cyber Incident Victim: Lower Makefield Township
Date:
Mar 2022
Location:
United States of America
Summary
A ransomware cyberattack compromised multiple systems in a Bucks County municipality, including email services, prompting the declaration of a local disaster emergency. The incident spurred neighboring governments to enhance monitoring and implement precautionary measures, such as alerting staff to exercise caution with communications originating from affected email addresses. State and county emergency management agencies provided assistance to the municipality, while regional authorities emphasized ongoing vigilance against network vulnerabilities. The attack reflects broader trends of increasing cyber threats targeting local governments, consistent with nationwide patterns of disruptive ransomware operations impacting public sector infrastructure.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
In late March 2022, Lower Makefield Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, experienced a ransomware cyberattack that compromised multiple municipal systems. Township officials first detected the intrusion during the week preceding April 1, with the attack specifically disrupting email communications and other operational networks. The incident prompted Lower Makefield to declare a local disaster emergency, a measure documented in the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency's (PEMA) daily operations briefing to Governor Tom Wolf. While the township's public-facing website and Facebook page contained no references to the breach, internal communications revealed significant operational disruptions. PEMA and the Bucks County Emergency Management Agency provided technical assistance to contain the incident, though township officials hadn't responded to media inquiries about the attack by April 1. The declaration of emergency underscored the severity of the disruption to essential municipal services.
The attack triggered heightened cybersecurity vigilance across neighboring Levittown-area municipalities, with local governments implementing protective measures to prevent cross-jurisdictional spread. Multiple offices alerted employees to exercise caution with emails originating from Lower Makefield Township addresses, indicating concerns about potential malware propagation through compromised communication channels. Bucks County government spokesperson James O'Malley confirmed ongoing monitoring of county networks while emphasizing routine vulnerability assessments by the county's IT department. This incident followed a separate cyberattack earlier in 2022 against Pennsbury School District within the same county, though that event reportedly didn't compromise sensitive data. The consecutive breaches exemplified broader trends documented by cybersecurity firm Emsisoft and the International City/County Management Association, whose surveys highlighted increasing ransomware targeting of local governments nationwide. Lower Makefield's operational disruptions persisted without public remediation updates through at least April 1, while regional authorities maintained defensive postures against potential secondary infections.