In late March 2026, the Iranian-linked hacktivist group Handala claimed a cyber breach targeting St. Joseph County, Indiana. The incident involved unauthorized access to a third-party external fax service used by the county. County officials initiated an investigation after receiving faxes from the hackers on March 31, 2026, and later confirmed unauthorized access to the external service.
The breach reportedly exposed highly sensitive records including police case details, medical information, and Social Security numbers (SSNs) from the prosecutor's office, local health centers, and police departments. Images circulated by Handala show unredacted police case details, medical information, and SSNs. While Handala claims to have exfiltrated over 2 terabytes of data, the exact number of affected individuals has not been disclosed, and no financial data is reported to have been compromised. St. Joseph County officials maintain that their internal systems were not affected, and there is no evidence of disruption to county operations. The county is collaborating with federal, state, and local partners, including CISA, on the investigation.
It is possible that further details may emerge as investigations continue, and official notifications to affected individuals may be delayed.