What the Union County Cyber Attack Means for Lancaster County Businesses

Last week, Union County, Ohio woke up to a nightmare. A ransomware attack had crippled their local government systems. Over 45,000 residents and county employees had their personal data compromised. Social Security numbers. Financial records. Medical information. All exposed.

Union County has a population of about 60,000. Lancaster County has over 550,000 residents. The communities they serve look a lot like ours. Small towns. Family businesses. People who trust their local institutions with sensitive information.

This was not a massive corporation. It was not a federal agency. It was a local government doing the same work as our own county offices. Processing permits. Managing payroll. Storing the personal details that make civic life possible.

If it can happen there, it can happen here.

What Actually Happened

In late September 2025, attackers deployed ransomware across Union County's government systems. Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts files, making them unreadable. The attackers demand payment to restore access.

Think of it like someone changing all the locks on your office, then offering to sell you the new keys.

The Union County attack forced government operations back to paper and manual processes. Services slowed to a crawl. Investigations revealed that the exposed data included:

• Social Security numbers
• Financial account information
• Medical records and health details
• Employment records

No ransomware group has claimed responsibility. Investigators found no evidence the data was sold or leaked publicly. But that provides cold comfort to the 45,000 people whose information is now in unknown hands.

What Would Happen If Lancaster County Systems Went Down?

Consider a typical week for a small business in Elizabethtown or Lancaster. You might:

• File permits with county offices
• Process payroll through local banking systems
• Access court records for real estate transactions
• Submit tax documents
• Request building inspections

Now imagine all those systems offline for days. Or weeks.

Your customers cannot complete purchases that require county verification. Your employees cannot get background checks processed. Your real estate closing gets delayed indefinitely. Your contractor license renewal sits in limbo.

A cyber attack on local government does not just affect government. It ripples through every business that depends on those services.

What Ransomware Actually Is

Ransomware is software designed to lock you out of your own files. Attackers typically get in through one of three methods:

1. Phishing emails that trick someone into clicking a malicious link
2. Unpatched software with known security holes
3. Weak or stolen passwords that give attackers direct access

Once inside, the ransomware spreads across connected systems. It encrypts everything it can reach. Then a message appears demanding payment, usually in cryptocurrency.

The FBI recommends against paying ransoms. Payment does not guarantee you get your data back. It funds criminal operations. And it marks you as a target who will pay.

Five Steps to Protect Your Business

The good news: you do not need a massive IT budget to defend against ransomware. These five steps will dramatically reduce your risk.

1. Backup Your Data Using the 3-2-1 Rule

The 3-2-1 backup rule is simple:

• 3 copies of your data
• 2 different storage types (hard drive and cloud)
• 1 copy stored offsite or offline

The offline part is critical. Ransomware can encrypt cloud backups if they are always connected.

2. Train Employees to Spot Phishing

Most ransomware attacks start with a single click. Someone opens an attachment they should not have.

Warning Signs of Phishing:

• Urgent language pressuring immediate action
• Unexpected attachments or links
• Sender address that does not match the organization
• Requests for passwords or financial information

3. Keep Software Updated

Attackers exploit known vulnerabilities. Software updates patch those holes. Every day you delay an update is a day attackers can use that weakness.

Enable automatic updates where possible. Replace software that no longer receives security updates.

4. Have an Incident Response Plan

When an attack happens, panic is your enemy. A written plan removes guesswork.

Your plan should answer: Who makes decisions? How do we isolate affected systems? Who do we contact first? Where are our backups?

5. Consider Cyber Insurance

Cyber insurance can cover forensic investigation, legal fees, customer notification, and business interruption losses.

Insurance is not a substitute for security. But it is a safety net when security fails.

The Cost of Doing Nothing

Small businesses often assume they are too small to target. The data says otherwise.

43% of cyber attacks target small businesses. The average cost of a data breach for small businesses exceeds $100,000. Nearly 60% of small businesses close within six months of a major cyber attack.

You Can Protect Yourself

Union County's attack is a warning. It is also an opportunity.

Start with one step this week. Back up your critical data. Send a phishing awareness email to your team. Check for pending software updates.

Small actions, repeated consistently, build real protection.