Despite today’s deadline, City of Abilene says they still won’t pay ransom in cyberattack

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Today is the alleged deadline for the City of Abilene to pay a Russian ransomware group to prevent the sharing of private information from a cyberattack that occurred in April.

In April, city officials announced that a cyber incident had impacted Abilene’s internal network, rendering several servers inoperable. Last week, a report from Comparitech stated that the ransomware group known as Qilin has claimed to have stolen 477 GB of data from the city and is demanding a ransom payment by May 27, 2025. City officials have neither confirmed nor disproven this claim, but they have acknowledged its existence.

City officials stated they would never pay a criminal entity, a stance reiterated today on the deadline for payment.

“The City of Abilene administration reiterates that it has decided no ransom will be paid related to the cyber incident that began on April 18, 2025. The city administration has collaborated closely with cybersecurity experts and legal counsel to reach this determination,” the city shared. “We appreciate your patience as we are able to provide information. We commit to continuing to provide you with the most current details and look forward to sharing more as the investigation continues.”

City officials say analysts are actively monitoring for the release of sensitive information and potential data leaks.