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  "description": "Officials said the town disabled computers after fraudulent Amazon orders, but later said the only affected system was its Amazon account.",
  "path": "/alexandria-tennessee-computer-breach/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-27T19:01:43.000Z",
  "site": "https://dysruptionhub.com",
  "tags": [
    "WJLE Radio reported",
    "reported a ransomware attack"
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  "textContent": "****Editor’s note:**** This story was updated after publication to include the Town of Alexandria’s response. Earlier public meeting discussion described Town Hall computers being shut down during the response, but the town later said the only system affected by the attack was its Amazon account and that no public information was compromised or delayed.\n\nAlexandria, Tennessee, shut down Town Hall computers last week while responding to a cybersecurity breach that town officials said involved fraudulent orders through the town’s Amazon account.\n\nTown officials said computers were temporarily shut down after suspicious account activity was detected, but the town later said the only system affected by the attack was its Amazon account. Alexandria is a DeKalb County town of about 1,000 people, about 40 miles east of Nashville, that handles local government, water billing and police administration.\n\nTown officials discussed the breach during the Board of Mayor and Aldermen’s May 26 meeting. Officials said during the meeting that the incident prompted Town Hall computers to be taken offline while an outside IT provider reviewed systems and added protections.\n\nTown Recorder Jessica Howard discovered the breach May 21 while placing an Amazon order and noticing that a tablet had been ordered through the town’s account, WJLE Radio reported. Howard said hackers used the account to order cameras and an iPad.\n\nDuring the meeting, officials said items were being shipped to an address in New York and that a phone number used in the transaction traced to a Verizon number in Gallatin, Tennessee, about 30 miles northwest of Alexandria. Officials said they could track one delivery to a photo at a front door and that subpoenas had been submitted as part of an investigation involving an investigator in New York.\n\nHoward told WJLE that one camera order cost $748.18, but the bank was returning the money. A second camera order was canceled before the town was charged, although the item was still received, she said. The tablet order was canceled before money was taken.\n\nHoward said during the meeting that the town’s bank accounts also were accessed, but no money was taken. The intruders changed the town’s email address on the accounts, she said.\n\nIn a written response to DysruptionHub, Town Recorder Lisa Hunnicutt said the only system affected by the attack was the town’s Amazon account, narrowing the confirmed impact after officials described broader response measures during the May 26 meeting. She said the town’s bank has reimbursed the funds and that no public information was compromised or delayed.\n\nMayor Jeff Ford said during the meeting that officials noticed possible activity on a computer, including a moment when the mouse moved before the computer was shut down. Ford said officials brought in Winslow Enterprises, an IT company that also serves Watertown, because “Town Hall is basically closed down” and all computers were shut off.\n\nWinslow turned the computers back on one by one, addressed issues and added protections, officials said. Meeting discussion indicated the work covered six computers, including police and Town Hall machines.\n\nFord said the town’s computers had little or no security protection before the incident. “There is nothing in this town protecting us,” he said during the meeting. Ford said protections are now in place.\n\nThe town discussed a managed IT, email, security and data protection service that would cost about $797 per month. Ford said the service would help preserve the protections added after the breach and provide support when employees are locked out or have computer trouble. Hunnicutt said the board has received Winslow’s report and plans to address it again at a June 8 budget workshop.\n\n****Chip in once****\nIf this reporting helped you, a one-time tip helps cover hosting, tools and future investigations.\n\nTip us\n\n****Support us monthly****\nA small monthly pledge keeps independent coverage and our reader tools online for everyone.\n\nBecome a Supporter\n\nPolice Chief Tommy Miller said the breach is under investigation, according to WJLE. The town has not publicly identified an attack type, threat actor or intrusion method.\n\nNo ransomware, data theft or ransom demand has been publicly confirmed. The available information points to account compromise and fraudulent purchasing through the town’s Amazon account, and the town said no public information was compromised or delayed.\n\nThe incident follows a separate cyber disruption in DeKalb County earlier this year, when the county sheriff’s office and jail reported a ransomware attack that affected email and inmate booking systems.\n\nTown officials said computers were brought back online with added protections, while any law enforcement findings remain unclear.\n\n****Attribution note:**** DysruptionHub credits upstream reporting and primary sources—see citations above. If this report informed your coverage, please cite DysruptionHub with a link.",
  "title": "Alexandria, Tennessee shuts down computers after Amazon account breach",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-28T12:45:20.904Z"
}