MONROE — Green County officials announced recently that there was a data breach of its computer system by a hacker or hackers earlier in the year, exposing county residents to potentially damaging, unauthorized use of their information, including bank and social security numbers.
The announcement last Thursday, June 5, came nearly four months after the county had alluded to such an issue when the its computer systems went offline, although the sheriff’s department and 911 center systems were unaffected.
But despite meetings and vague statements about the data breach issue at that time, county officials declined to provide specific information, as the matter was still under investigation. Last Thursday’s statement did, however, provide some additional detail.
“Upon learning of this issue, we immediately worked to contain the threat and secure our network environment,” said the statement. “We commenced a prompt and thorough investigation into the incident and worked very closely with external cybersecurity professionals experienced in handling these types of situations to help determine whether any personal or sensitive data had been accessed or acquired because of this incident. “
The probe on May 19 revealed “that personal information may have been accessed or acquired by an unauthorized party between February 2, 2025 and February 4, 2025.”
The information potentially involved, according to officials, may have included first and last names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers, state identification number/driver’s license number, bank account information; and/or health information.
The county did not name the impacted residents, but said all of those who may have been a victim were contacted by officials on June 2.
“Out of an abundance of caution, commencing on June 2, 2025, Green County notified individuals whose information may have been included in the files accessed by the unauthorized party,” said the statement. “Notified individuals have been provided with best practices to protect their information, and individuals whose Social Security numbers were continued in the impacted files have been offered complimentary credit monitoring.”
Green County Board Chairman Jerry Guth and other county officials have repeatedly refused to comment on the matter since February, and the statement said no additional information will be provided. It did, however, emphasize that the county was taking precautions to ensure the incident will not happen here again.
“Green County is committed to maintaining the privacy and security of the personal information in our possession and have taken many precautions to safeguard it,” said the release. “We continually evaluate and modify our practices and internal controls to enhance the security and privacy of your personal information and will continue to do so following this incident.”
Those with specific questions about the matter are urged to call a “dedicated and confidential toll-free response line” at 888-686-4702. It is available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The initial disruption in February first caused county government phones and internet to go down. Then, for more than a week, county workers had to scramble and improvise, while many systems were offline.
“Upon learning of the incident, Green County took certain systems offline out of an abundance of caution and began a thorough investigation with leading information security professionals,” said County Clerk Arianna Voegeli on Feb. 13, in a statement updating an investigation that was ongoing through late May.