Ransomware attack shut down City of Hoboken government operations

The City of Hoboken, New Jersey detected a ransomware attack on its municipal network in the early hours of Wednesday, November 27, 2024, the day before Thanksgiving. City Hall closed for the day, all online city services were suspended and municipal court was cancelled. New Jersey Courts redirected municipal court and police business to facilities in neighboring Secaucus. Citywide street sweeping was suspended, while parking regulations, waste collection and recreation programs continued as normal.

Officials said the city's own cybersecurity systems flagged the intrusion, and that the network was shut down and then restored in stages with help from outside IT specialists, the Hoboken Police Department and federal law enforcement.

The Russia-linked ThreeAM group, also known as 3AM and reported to have ties to the former Conti ransomware operation, later claimed responsibility. It did not make its demands public. Reporting on the stolen material indicated that thousands of Social Security numbers had been taken, along with driver's license and state identification numbers, payroll records, health information and bank account and routing details. People who applied for pandemic era rental assistance were among those affected.

Hoboken opened a call center for residents on December 8, 2024 and offered free credit monitoring and identity protection. The city completed its review of the affected files in March 2025 and finished tracing addresses for notification letters in May 2025.