ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Officials announced on Thursday that the computer network used by the Anne Arundel County government was hacked for a second time over the summer.
A county release said officials detected the latest incident on Aug. 28, when an "unauthorized actor gained access to a limited number of systems and copied certain files from those systems."
"Presently, there is no indication the files have been used to commit any type of consumer fraud or identity theft or that this event was related to any previous cyber event," the release reads.
Authorities are working to determine which files were accessed, what they contained, and whether they were tied to specific individuals. If the review flags any individuals, officials said they will be notified of the impact.
While the county did not specify exactly how large the data breach was, it noted "there is no anticipated impact to any essential services moving forward."
The August data breach comes after the county experienced a similar incident in 2025 that spanned nearly a month.
In late February 2025, county officials learned that a user breached "certain systems" within the county network between Jan. 28, 2025, and Feb. 22, 2025.
"Certain files within the network were accessed or downloaded without authorization during that time," reads the release.
"Recent reports indicate that there has been a surge in these kinds of calculated cybercrimes specifically targeting state and local governments."
Related: Systems Restored At 2 MD Hospitals After Cyberattack Rattles Operations For Weeks
The county said it completed its review of the 2025 hack and would send letters to impacted individuals the week of Oct. 19.
Updates on the cyberattack came shortly after Luminis Health confirmed it had fully restored its systems after a data breach. A county spokesperson told The Banner that the two cases were unrelated.
Residents are urged to closely review any bank statements, credit reports, or explanations of benefits and to flag any unusual activity to authorities. See what to do if fraudulent activity is found.
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