Following a ransom attack in late March that prompted the county to take systems including Wi-Fi, jail databases and court records offline for days, the local government will transition to a .gov website in early June.
May 20, 2025 •
Marietta Daily Journal,
(TNS) — Less than two months after suffering a ransom attack on its servers, the Cobb County government has announced it will be transitioning to a new website “to improve security, credibility and accessibility for residents.”
The county said its Information Technology Services Department has been working for “more than a year” to make the transition “as seamless as possible.”
The county will transition its official website from cobbcounty.org — which received over 8 million visits last year — to cobbcounty.gov on June 2 .
Per the announcement, a .GOV domain is reserved for verified government entities, “reducing the risk of fraud and phishing attacks.” Those websites are also prioritized in search engine results, the county said.
“By adopting a .GOV domain, we are taking an important step to strengthen cybersecurity and enhance public confidence in our online services,” said County Manager Jackie McMorris. “Residents can trust that when they visit our website, they are accessing official government information and services.”
According to the county, the change “aligns with federal and state best practices for government agencies.”
At least one unauthorized user was detected on Cobb servers on March 21, leading the county to down its own online systems — including court records, Wi-Fi and jail databases — for days. Those systems were gradually brought online as deemed safe, with everything up and running by March 27.
In that time, the personal data of 10 people, including three county employees was swiped. The county has not shared exactly what information was taken, but noted it will provide those affected help with credit monitoring and identity theft protection.
Until this month, the county had declined to state whether or not the attack involved ransom, when it released a statement sharing it refused to “support or enable criminal enterprises, even when faced with difficult choices.”
“While we understand this may offer limited comfort to those affected, standing firm sends a clear message: bad actors will not profit from this crime,” the May 2 statement from the county reads.
County staff have declined to sit with the MDJ for an interview about the breach, citing the ongoing investigation.
“The investigation into the March incident is ongoing, so it would be premature for anyone with the county to comment on the matter,” a late April email from the Cobb County Communications Department reads.
The website switch will not impact the interface design or functionality, the county said, but an upgrade is slated for the site later this year. A new mobile app will also allow people to receive alerts and information from the county, directly to their phone.
The county asks that residents update their bookmarks to the new website.
Official county government email addresses will now use @cobbcounty.gov. Emails sent to @cobbcounty.org addresses will continue to work for a limited time.
