The City of Abilene, Texas has confirmed a cyberattack that forced several of its internal systems offline. Emergency services remain operational, while system recovery is ongoing.
Cyberattack Disrupts City Operations; Systems Taken Offline
City officials in Abilene first noticed the incident on Friday when multiple servers within the city’s internal network became unresponsive. The city’s IT team immediately disconnected affected systems and brought in external cybersecurity experts to investigate the incident.
On Monday, the city issued a statement confirming that several systems had been proactively taken offline out of caution. However, it stressed that emergency services are fully operational and that no unauthorized financial activity has been detected.
Impact on Services and City Response
Due to the system outages:
- Card payment systems at city offices are not working.
- Cash and check payments are currently the only accepted methods in person.
- Online payments with cards remain functional.
- Utility shutoffs for overdue accounts have been paused.
- Response to email and service requests may be slower than usual.
Phone numbers have been provided for water-related emergencies and urgent service issues. The city noted that telephones and systems are gradually being restored, though delays in response times are expected.
Scope of Attack Still Unclear
Abilene officials have not confirmed whether ransomware was involved and declined to comment on whether federal authorities have been contacted. The full extent of the attack remains under review, and recovery is described as a time-intensive process.
The city has committed to ongoing monitoring of its network and will share more information as it becomes available over the coming weeks.
Texas Faces Growing Wave of Government Cyberattacks
Abilene’s cyberattack follows a pattern of recent intrusions across Texas. In the past year alone:
- Cities impacted include Dallas, Fort Worth, Killeen, Richardson, Coppell, McKinney, and Lubbock.
- Counties affected include Dallas County, Tarrant County, Wichita County, and Matagorda County.
- The City of Mission and Matagorda County both declared states of emergency this year due to critical service disruptions from cyberattacks.
Texas Cyber Command Launched in Response to Rising Threats
Amid rising cyber incidents, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the launch of a Texas Cyber Command in February 2025. Based in San Antonio, the unit is tasked with:
- Detecting and anticipating threats
- Promoting cyber awareness
- Coordinating statewide planning and response
“We cannot let any more time go by without strongly addressing this problem,” Abbott said.
“That is why I’m calling for an emergency item to create the Texas Cyber Command.”
Gov. Abbott cited a surge in attacks targeting cities, hospitals, and businesses in recent weeks, stressing the urgency of statewide cybersecurity coordination.
