Mission, Texas Declares State of Emergency Following Cyberattack on City Systems

Mission, Texas – The city government of Mission, a border town with over 87,000 residents in Hidalgo County, has declared a state of emergency after a cyberattack compromised its IT systems. The incident, first announced on Wednesday, forced officials to take critical systems offline in order to protect sensitive data, though emergency services remain operational.

City officials reported that the cybercriminals managed to expose and potentially jeopardise the entire range of data held on city servers, including personal records and operational data. A local news outlet, however, disputed the official claim by noting that police officers lost access to vital state databases used for processing driver’s licences and licence plates.

In a bid to secure additional support, Mayor Norie Gonzalez Garza sent a letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday urging him to declare a broader state of emergency. The mayor’s memo emphasised that the cyberattack poses an “immeasurable and imminent” risk, with the entire city’s computer system now vulnerable to further breaches. The declaration would facilitate the release of emergency funds required to address the damage and enhance cybersecurity measures.

The attack, which began on February 28, has not seen a detailed public update since the initial notification. City officials confirmed that law enforcement is actively investigating the incident, but specific details remain scarce due to the ongoing investigation.

This latest incident adds to a growing list of cyberattacks affecting Texas municipalities, with similar breaches reported in Matagorda County, McKinney, Coppell, and Richardson over recent months.