DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department Reports Ransomware Attack on Main Server
Summary
DeKalb County officials said ransomware hit the Sheriff’s Department and Jail’s main server, disrupting booking software. Booking data was recovered with the vendor; the FBI and TBI are assisting with the investigation.
Key points
- Sheriff Patrick Ray said an external intrusion involving ransomware affected the department and jail’s main server.
- The server supports department email and inmate booking software; booking was disrupted when the program stopped during an intake.
- Officials recovered booking data Friday evening with help from the booking vendor.
- The FBI and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation are assisting, and a third-party company will assess the incident and attempt further data recovery.
- Ray said the investigation is ongoing and that a foreign-country link is only a likelihood, not a confirmed finding.
Article Details
- Victim Organization
- DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and Jail
- Incident Type
- External intrusion involving ransomware
- Incident Date
- 2026-03-13
- Operational Impact
- The main server, which controls department email and booking software, was affected. The booking program stopped during inmate processing. The department reported that it worked with its booking vendor to retrieve all booking data Friday evening.
- Claim Status
- confirmed