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Pennington County Provides Update on July Cybersecurity Incident

Kotatv • September 24, 2026

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - The Pennington County officials confirmed that a July 4 cyberattack was a ransomware incident that forced IT staff to take servers offline to contain the threat from spreading.

While all county departments are currently operational, some public-facing services remain limited, and officials have not set a target date for full restoration yet.

Commission Chair Ron Weifenbach stated that while early details were withheld to protect the investigation, the county is now sharing more verified information as recovery continues alongside state, federal, and cybersecurity partners.

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This article is one source in a clustered incident — the cluster page carries the summary, timeline and every other outlet covering it.

Pennington County Ransomware Attack Update Released On July 4, 2026, unauthorized actors executed a ransomware attack on Pennington County's computer systems, leading to significant operational disruptions. County IT staff took systems offline to contain the threat and protect public information. As of now, all departments are operational, but some public-facing services remain limited, with no set date for full restoration. Commission Chair Ron Weifenbach confirmed that initial details were withheld to protect the investigation, but more information is now being shared as recovery efforts continue. The county is implementing lessons learned from the incident to enhance cybersecurity through technology investments and employee training. Assistance was provided by state and federal partners, including the FBI and CISA. 5 sources 51

Pennington County Provides Update on July Cybersecurity Incident

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Extracted Entities

Attack Types (1)

Companies (1)