Genesee County

Genesee County operates as a governmental entity providing public services within its jurisdiction in Michigan, United States. Its core functions involve managing essential administrative and civic services for residents and businesses in the county area, including payment processing systems critical for local operations. The organization faced a significant disruption on April 1, 2019, when a ransomware attack compromised its computer systems. This incident forced a widespread shutdown of county technology infrastructure, leading to substantial service outages that hindered critical functions like payment processing. Communication capabilities were severely limited after email systems were taken offline, restricting official contact primarily to phone calls during the incident.

Restoration efforts proved more complex and time-consuming than initially anticipated due to the extensive scope of the ransomware attack. County officials worked methodically to recover systems, prioritizing the restoration of email functionality before addressing other affected services. The full recovery process extended beyond initial projections. Throughout the incident response, Genesee County confirmed that no sensitive data was compromised and explicitly stated that no ransom payment was made to the attackers. The organization involved external law enforcement agencies, specifically the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Michigan State Police, to investigate the source and impact of the ransomware incident.