ABILENE, TX — The City of Abilene says it will not pay a ransom to hackers who claim to have stolen 477 gigabytes of sensitive data during a cyberattack last month.
The Russian-based ransomware group, Qilin, says it was behind the April 18 attack that took several city departments offline and disrupted operations, including payment systems.
The group is demanding payment by May 27 and has threatened to release the stolen data publicly if the city does not comply. To back up their claim, Qilin posted a sample of what it says are tax documents and government files.
The City of Abilene told KTXAS on May 19 that they can confirm the group's claim and said they are working with cybersecurity experts to understand the full impact. They made it clear they will not pay the ransom.
The city has not shared details about what data was accessed or how many people may be affected.
Abilene, which serves more than 125,000 people in Taylor and Jones counties, is one of several U.S. cities hit by ransomware in recent months. Qilin has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks across the country in 2025.
Officials say essential services like emergency response, water, and trash collection have kept running despite the attack.
The investigation is ongoing.
Subscribe to the LIVE! Daily
Required
Post a comment to this article here: