Hackers Claim to Steal Sensitive Data From Abilene; City Refuses to Pay Ransom

ABILENE, TX — Hackers say they’ve stolen 477 gigabytes of sensitive city data and demanded a ransom by May 27, but the City of Abilene announced it will not pay.

The Russian-based ransomware group Qilin claimed responsibility for the April 18 cyberattack that took multiple city departments offline and disrupted operations, including payment processing. City officials confirmed they are working with cybersecurity professionals and continue to investigate the full scope of the breach.

The City of Abilene told KTXS in a May 19 statement that it does not pay ransoms to cybercriminals, referencing a Comparitech report that detailed Qilin’s claims.

Qilin threatened to leak the data publicly if the city does not comply. A sample of the stolen data posted online includes what the group claims are tax documents and government records.

As of this week, Abilene has not verified Qilin’s claims or released details about the method of intrusion. City officials said essential services such as emergency response, water, and waste management remain operational during the recovery.

Qilin operates a ransomware-as-a-service model and has claimed responsibility for more than two dozen confirmed attacks on U.S. entities in 2025 alone.

Abilene, which serves more than 125,000 residents in Taylor and Jones counties, is the latest municipality targeted in a growing wave of ransomware attacks against local governments.