County Government Reportedly Paid $1 Million to Cyber Extortion Group

A small county government in Ohio reportedly paid $1 million to the Kairos cyber extortion group to prevent the release of stolen data following a brute-force attack in May 2025. The attackers, Kairos, demanded $3 million but the county settled on $1 million, providing a proof of deletion that was not fully comprehensive. The incident resulted in the exposure of a vast amount of sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers, financial details, and medical records, impacting over 45,000 residents.