Alabama Appellate Courts Investigate Possible Data Exposure September 2026 Montgomery West Publishing C Track Court Data Experian

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WBMA) — Alabama’s Appellate Courts are working with a third-party technology provider to determine whether sensitive information connected to court records may have been accessed during a data security incident involving the provider’s systems.

West Publishing Corporation, which provides the C-Track case management system used by Alabama’s Appellate Courts, notified the courts of the incident on July 23, 2026.

According to the Alabama Appellate Courts, there is no indication that the courts’ own systems were compromised or accessed during the incident. Court systems across the state have continued to operate without interruption.

However, West Publishing later informed the courts that a copy of some Alabama appellate court data was maintained in a backup file within the company’s cloud environment. That information may have been accessed by unauthorized third parties during the incident.

The Alabama Appellate Courts said they did not request West Publishing to store a backup copy of Alabama court data in its systems and were not aware that the company had such data.

West Publishing reported the incident to law enforcement, and a criminal investigation remains ongoing. The company has also hired a vendor specializing in identifying security vulnerabilities and said it has taken steps recommended by industry experts to secure its systems.

Officials said the full scope of the incident is not yet known. The Alabama Appellate Courts said the vast majority of information in court records and data maintained by the courts is public information. The courts are working with West Publishing to determine what information may have been involved and whether sensitive personally identifiable information was accessed.

West Publishing has committed to notifying individuals whose sensitive personally identifiable information is determined to have been accessed, in accordance with Alabama law.

Chief Justice Sarah Stewart said the Alabama Appellate Courts took immediate steps after learning the incident to verify that their systems and data remained secure.

“Our staff has taken necessary steps to ensure that our Courts' system and data are safe and secure,” Stewart said. “This incident occurred within our vendor's systems, not our own.”

The Alabama Appellate Courts use C-Track for case management, e-filing and public-access services for the Alabama Supreme Court, the Court of Criminal Appeals and the Court of Civil Appeals.

The courts said all court data maintained by the Alabama Appellate Courts is kept in a secure, cloud-based system separate from West Publishing’s systems.

The Alabama Appellate Courts said they are continuing to monitor West Publishing’s investigation and notification process and will provide additional information as it becomes available.

West Publishing has established a dedicated website with updates the incident at .

A dedicated Experian call center and credit-monitoring services are also available for potentially affected individuals at 1-833-918-5294. Callers should use Engagement Number B171847.