COBB COUNTY, GA — A cyberattack targeting the Cobb County government has taken a disturbing turn, as hackers have begun releasing stolen personal data on the dark web after the county refused to pay a ransom demand.

The cybercriminal group Qilin, a Russian-speaking organization known for major ransomware attacks worldwide, is behind the breach. Cobb County officials confirmed that the group demanded payment following the data theft, but the county declined.

In a statement, the county said, “We will not enable criminal enterprises,” reinforcing its decision not to pay the ransom.

Now, a portion of the stolen data is public. Cybersecurity expert Rick Hudson of Critical Path Security, who has reviewed the materials posted, says the sample already includes sensitive personal information.

“They had at least three autopsy photos in there; they had people’s driver’s licenses, people’s Social Security cards, people’s emergency contact information,” Hudson said. He added that Qilin claims to possess over 400,000 files totaling more than 150 gigabytes, far more than what has been released so far.

Despite the county’s claim that only a small number of individuals have been affected, the exposed data raises serious concerns. Cobb County says it is offering credit monitoring and identity theft protection to those impacted.

The investigation remains ongoing as officials work to assess the full extent of the breach and protect sensitive information from further exposure.

WSBs Ashley Simmons contributed to this story