Georgia's Cobb County Downplays Cyber Threat Before Weekend Outage
Cobb County officials in Marietta, Georgia, took multiple servers offline beginning Friday, March 21, 2025, after detecting “unusual activity” on internal systems. Initial messaging described the disruption as routine maintenance, including a now-deleted webpage and follow-up posts on the county's website and social media accounts. However, a spokesperson later acknowledged that the server activity was suspicious and potentially linked to a hacking attempt. Essential services like phone lines and bill pay systems have since been restored, but a number of online platforms—such as court filing, senior services registration, and box office ticketing—remain offline or delayed.
Despite increasing service impacts across departments, county communications have continued to characterize the issue as stemming from “unscheduled maintenance,” without explicitly referring to the incident as a cybersecurity threat. This cautious phrasing contrasts with previous high-profile cyberattacks in Georgia, such as the 2024 ransomware incident at Marietta City Schools and the 2023 ransomware assault on Fulton County. The lack of transparency has raised concerns about the county’s crisis communication strategy, particularly as public access to services remains disrupted and no clear timeline for full restoration has been provided. While officials maintain that no data has been confirmed compromised, the ambiguity surrounding the cause may hinder public trust during recovery.