Greenville, Texas, suspends records after ransomware cripples servers

The City of Greenville filed a catastrophe notice with the Texas Attorney General stating that municipal servers were attacked by a ransomware group, cutting off access to police and other records and pausing Texas Public Information Act deadlines from August 25–31, 2025. The notice, signed by City Attorney Daniel Ray, reported that the city has engaged privacy counsel and a third-party investigator to assist in the response. A system restoration milestone late last week may allow limited access to records beginning Tuesday, August 26, though full recovery could still take weeks. Greenville is located in Hunt County. The city has not publicly confirmed a cybersecurity incident through its official website or social media channels.

Leading up to the filing, residents encountered service disruptions across city operations. On August 6, Greenville warned of intermittent phone and internet outages, though 911 remained unaffected. The Greenville Electric Utility System (GEUS), the city-owned utility, posted on August 13 that online billing was unavailable and followed up on August 15 with a note that services were still limited. The W. Walworth Harrison Public Library reported “Systems Down” on August 19, signaling broader network issues. Officials did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.

Texas Gov’t Code §552.2325 allows governmental bodies to temporarily suspend Public Information Act deadlines during a qualifying catastrophe, with notices posted publicly by the Attorney General for one year. Greenville reported approximately 20 pending records requests that cannot be fulfilled until access is restored. The city’s silence follows a pattern seen in other municipalities where disclosure comes primarily through legal filings rather than public statements, underscoring the continuing strain ransomware places on U.S. local governments.