WASHBURN COUNTY, WI — Washburn County has provided an update on Friday on the cyber incident that prompted the county to shut down its technology systems last week, with officials continuing to investigate the incident and work toward restoring affected services.
PRESS RELEASE
As you may be aware, Washburn County has been responding to a cyber incident since last Thursday, August 6, 2026. This incident is still under investigation, and the county continues to work to determine the nature and scope of the activity.
At the time of the incident, county technology had been shut down to allow county personnel and incident response specialists to continue assessing affected technology systems. Staff and the public may have experienced disruptions to certain county services that rely on internet access or communications via county phone lines.
As of today, the county’s email and phone systems have been returned to operation. The county continues to actively work to safely restore other programs and services. The investigation remains ongoing, and we are limited in the information we can provide.
As was previously stated, if the investigation determines that personal information was affected, or that additional steps are recommended or required, the county will communicate directly with impacted individuals and provide appropriate guidance.
Protecting the physical and digital safety and security of our staff and constituents remains our highest priority. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue to investigate this matter, safely restore services, and determine whether any additional actions are necessary.
-- Per Lolita Olson, Board Chair | Washburn County
Last Update: Aug 14, 2026 1:44 pm CDT
