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A cyberattack hit the Patriot Regional Emergency Communications Center in Pepperell, Massachusetts, disrupting computer systems used by town and public safety agencies across several northern Massachusetts communities. Officials said the incident affected police and fire operations in Ashby, Dunstable, Pepperell, Townsend, and other towns served by the regional dispatch hub, while non-emergency and business phone lines were knocked offline. Emergency 9-1-1 services remained operational despite the outage.
Municipal officials said they brought in insurance representatives and outside cybersecurity responders and notified federal law enforcement as the investigation began. Authorities are still determining whether any data was accessed or stolen, and no threat actor had publicly claimed responsibility at the time of reporting. The affected center also supports emergency call intake and dispatch and is connected to the CodeRED notification platform, underscoring the continued exposure of municipal and emergency communications systems to disruptive cyber incidents.
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Following the attack, Pepperell officials said they activated insurance resources, brought in outside cybersecurity responders, and notified federal law enforcement. Authorities also began investigating whether any information was accessed or stolen.
Municipal statements said the attack affected police and fire operations to varying degrees in Ashby, Dunstable, Pepperell, and Townsend, all of which rely on the regional emergency communications center. The center also supports emergency call intake and dispatch for nearby towns including Groton.
Early on 2026-03-31, officials identified a cyberattack affecting the Patriot Regional Emergency Communications Center in Pepperell, Massachusetts. The incident disrupted town and public safety computer systems and knocked non-emergency and business phone lines out of service, while 9-1-1 services remained operational.
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Heywood Healthcare, a nonprofit healthcare system in North Central Massachusetts, experienced a significant cyberattack that forced the organization to take its IT network offline. The incident affected both Heywood Hospital in Gardner, a 134-bed facility, and Athol Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital in Athol, as well as associated medical groups and care facilities. As a direct result of the attack, the hospitals were unable to accept emergency care patients transported by ambulance, leading to the diversion of ambulances to other facilities. Radiology and laboratory services, including CAT scan imaging, were rendered unavailable, impacting the hospitals' ability to provide critical diagnostic services. The Central Massachusetts Emergency Medical Systems Corp. issued guidance for ambulances to transport stroke patients to the next nearest primary stroke service hospital, as the affected hospitals' imaging services would be down until further notice. In addition to clinical disruptions, the cyberattack also impacted communication systems, with email and phone services affected, further complicating coordination and response efforts. Despite these challenges, Heywood Healthcare continued to care for inpatients already admitted to both hospitals. The organization did not disclose the specific nature of the cyberattack, such as whether it involved ransomware or data exfiltration, but the operational impact was severe enough to necessitate a full network shutdown. The incident highlights the vulnerability of healthcare infrastructure to cyber threats and the cascading effects on patient care and regional emergency response. Local authorities and healthcare partners were notified, and contingency plans were activated to manage patient care and redirect emergency services. The disruption to radiology and laboratory services not only affected emergency care but also routine diagnostics for existing patients. The hospitals' inability to accept ambulance patients placed additional strain on neighboring healthcare facilities, which had to absorb redirected emergency cases. The attack underscores the importance of robust business continuity and disaster recovery planning in the healthcare sector. Heywood Healthcare's response included ongoing assessment and restoration efforts, though no timeline for full service restoration was provided. The incident also raised concerns about the security of patient data, though no evidence of data compromise was reported at the time. The healthcare system's transparency in communicating with the public and emergency services was noted as a critical component of the response. The event serves as a reminder of the critical interdependencies between IT systems, clinical operations, and emergency medical services in modern healthcare environments.
Jul 12, 2026
A cyberattack against **Tidewater Telecom** disrupted internet service across 23 towns in Maine’s midcoastal region, causing outages that affected residents and at least one local government. The town office in **Damariscotta** reported spotty or unavailable connectivity, limiting its ability to deliver municipal services during the disruption. Tidewater Telecom said it identified the issue and worked with its upstream internet providers to block malicious traffic clogging its network, indicating a network-based attack consistent with a denial-of-service event. Service was later restored to near-normal conditions, and reporting indicated that **no consumer data was affected** by the incident.
Jul 21, 2026
Passaic County, New Jersey reported a **malware attack** that disrupted county government **IT systems** and caused widespread **phone line outages** across offices serving a population of nearly 600,000. The county indicated phone service went down Wednesday morning and later confirmed the outage was tied to a cyber incident, stating it is working with **federal and state officials** to investigate and contain the intrusion. Officials have not publicly detailed which specific systems were impacted beyond telephony and general IT services, nor attributed the activity to a specific threat actor or confirmed ransomware. County statements also noted that other New Jersey local governments have experienced similar incidents recently, aligning with broader reporting that **municipal and county governments** have remained frequent targets of disruptive malware and ransomware operations.
Jun 29, 2026