FBI and DHS investigated a 2026 cyberattack on Jackson County, Indiana sheriff's network
A March 2026 cyberattack hit Jackson County, Indiana's computer network and triggered FBI and DHS investigation. The same month, DeKalb County, Indiana disclosed a separate breach exposing SSNs and driver's license numbers.
What happened
WDRB reported in March 2026 that the FBI and DHS were investigating a cyberattack affecting portions of the Jackson County, Indiana computer network. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office acknowledged the intrusion and engaged federal investigators. WTHR reported the same month that DeKalb County, Indiana disclosed a separate data breach in which personal information, including Social Security numbers and driver's license numbers, may have been exposed. Both incidents affected county-level systems that hold deputy and civilian staff data alongside resident data.
What happened
In March 2026, two Indiana counties were publicly affected by cyber intrusions. WDRB reported that the FBI and DHS were investigating a cyberattack on Jackson County, Indiana's computer network, with the Sheriff's Office confirming federal involvement. WTHR reported around the same time that DeKalb County, Indiana had disclosed a separate breach in which personal information, including Social Security numbers and driver's license numbers, may have been exposed.
County-level networks generally host both employee and resident data. Sheriff's office personnel, civilian staff, and family-related records routinely flow through the same systems as resident-facing services.
How it started
County government networks across the country have become regular ransomware targets. The pattern is consistent: a small IT staff, varied applications stacked over years, and high-value data ranging from court records to law enforcement personnel files.
Once data leaves a county network, it doesn't come back. Broker aggregators and people-search sites pick up new data points continuously. A leaked SSN or address gets reconciled against existing listings and republished.
What this means for you
If you're an Indiana deputy or county employee, the public-records exemption (Ind. Code § 5-14-3-4(a)(23)) covers many of your records. Property-records redaction (Ind. Code § 36-1-8.5-7) lets you submit a written request to restrict access to your home address in county property databases. The 2026 amendment to Ind. Code § 35-45-2-1 strengthened the criminal intimidation statute.
These are real tools. They cover state-held data. They do not cover broker pages. After a county breach, the broker layer is where the leaked data resurfaces. Removal there is the part that stays current. We handle it.
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What would have prevented this
Indiana's recent statutory work, the public-records exemption (Ind. Code § 5-14-3-4(a)(23)), the property-records redaction right (Ind. Code § 36-1-8.5-7), and the 2026 anti-intimidation amendment (Ind. Code § 35-45-2-1), give officers and judges meaningful tools. None of them remove data already on broker pages. After a county-level breach, that's the data set that fuels the next doxxing or stalking attempt. We monitor and remove broker listings continuously, so a county leak doesn't become a permanent online address.