Washington Court House Data Breach | Ohio Privacy Lawyers
The data privacy lawyers at The Lyon Firm are investigating a recently reported ransomware attack in the city of Washington Court House, Ohio. Details are sparse at the moment, however, the data breach has been claimed by the BEAST ransomware group, and if confirmed, could potentially impact a large amount of sensitive personal and municipal data. Victims are urged to take proactive steps to minimize privacy risks, and to contact an experienced Ohio data breach attorney to learn more about filing class action data breach claims.
What happened at Washington Court House?
Washington Court House, Ohio, has allegedly become a target in a wave of ransomware attacks plaguing municipal governments. Rumors of an alleged ransomware attack surfaced in May, with whispers intensifying by late July 2025. At the time of writing, no official confirmation has been issued by city officials.
This incident, if verified, could expose sensitive resident data, echoing similar breaches in Ohio cities, and raises significant privacy concerns for everyone involved. The attack reportedly disrupted city services including the local tax office, the water department’s payment processing system, and municipal court records.
On May 27, 2025, the city posted an announcement on Facebook saying that their systems were disrupted at city administration, tax, and service departments. Beast now says it stole 134 GB of confidential data. To prove these claims, the ransomware group posted sample images on its website of what it says are documents stolen from Washington Court House’s government servers. The stolen items include personnel forms and tax documents.
The alleged attack aligns with a growing trend of ransomware targeting local governments, where underfunded IT infrastructure and reliance on third-party vendors create exploitable weaknesses. Unlike Columbus’s confirmed Rhysida attack affecting half a million individuals, Washington Court House’s smaller scale might limit the victim count, but the impact may still be significant.
For individuals involved in a data theft incident, certain privacy risks increase. Compromised Social Security numbers, tax ID info and financial data open the door to identity theft, enabling criminals to open fraudulent accounts or file fraudulent tax returns.
Victims of any data security incident should remain vigilant, as the full ramifications may unfold over time, turning a privacy crisis into a personal call to action. Our Ohio data privacy lawyers have settled numerous data breach lawsuits, and we represent clients in all fifty states.