Cyberattack shut down Wayne County, Michigan websites and county offices

Wayne County, Michigan, the state's largest county and home to roughly 1.75 million residents, was hit by a cyberattack that began on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, taking down county websites and disrupting several departments.

The Wayne County Sheriff's Office was unable to bond inmates out of jail, the Treasurer's Office could not accept online tax payments, and the Register of Deeds closed early because property records were inaccessible. Websites for the prosecutor's and clerk's offices went offline, and defense attorneys reported being unable to schedule jail visits with clients. The Probate Court continued to operate.

A county spokesperson said the information technology team was aware of a cyber incident targeting internal systems and was investigating its scope alongside the FBI and Michigan State Police. Affected services were transitioned to backup processes, and the county said it expected its website to be fully operational by the start of business on Friday. The prosecutor's office reported the following day that it was open and functioning as usual.

WXYZ, the Detroit station that first reported the incident, said a source described a financial demand made against the county through ransomware. Officials did not publicly confirm a ransom demand or name an attacker in the initial reporting. City of Detroit systems were not affected.