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Medium

Passaic County, NJ Hit by Medusa Ransomware Attack

Passaic County, New Jersey, experienced a ransomware attack by the Medusa group on March 17, 2026.

Key points

  • Medusa ransomware attack on March 17, 2026.
  • Disrupted local government IT systems and phone lines.
  • Affected nearly 600,000 residents.

Connected intelligence

Signal brief

Follow the organization, likely method and potential impact to explore connected Shadow Tier intelligence.

02

Likely method

Ransomware

Threat source not confirmed

03

Potential impact

Data Exposure

Confidentiality, Availability

Published
Mar 17, 2026
Updated
Jun 26, 2026
Confidence
Medium
Evidence
2 sources

Structured assessment

Signal analysis

This analysis groups the signal by industry, likely incident action and impacted security area. It helps compare this signal with other published signals without treating the labels as final determinations.

Threat source

Threat source not confirmed

Watch ransomware, endpoint compromise and business interruption exposure.

Business impact

Potential operational disruption
Impact area
Confidentiality, Availability
Likely asset
User or customer data

Mentioned entities

PassaiccountynjData DisclosurePassaic CountyNJ HitMedusa Ransomware Attack Passaic CountyNew JerseyMedusaWhile MedusaDisruptedAffected

Quick context

Questions about this signal

What happened in this signal?

Passaic County, New Jersey, experienced a ransomware attack by the Medusa group on March 17, 2026. The attack disrupted the county's local government systems, including phone lines and IT infrastructure, affecting nearly 600,000 residents. Medusa claimed responsibility and demanded an $800,000 ransom. The county had initially announced a malware attack on March 4, but Medusa's claim and the specific ransomware strike date were reported on March 17. While Medusa claimed data exfiltration, the county has not fully confirmed the extent of data theft.

When was this signal reported?

Shadow Tier lists Mar 17, 2026 as the signal date.

Which organization is connected to this signal?

Passaiccountynj is the organization connected to this public signal.

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Which attack pattern is relevant?

This signal is connected to current ransomware incidents based on its reported incident context.

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Which impact area is relevant?

This signal is connected to data exposure and breach intelligence based on its reported consequences.

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