A ransomware group called Genesis yesterday took credit for a December 2025 data breach in Upper Township, New Jersey.
The claim posted on Genesis’ data leak site threatens to release 100 GB of data stolen from Upper Township’s official servers, including financial and personal info, if the township refuses to pay a ransom in the next three days.
Township officials today said a breach of the city’s official network is still under investigation.
“We are aware that there may be data posted to the dark web related to the incident. We are reviewing all information and will notify required individuals as required,” said township administrator James W. Van Zilke in an email response to Comparitech.
Upper Township officials have not verified Genesis’ claim, but minutes from a December 15, 2025 council meeting detail the authorization of funds for data breach counseling services, forensics, and remediation. The council budgeted up to $110,000 to employ the services of law firm Mullen Coughlin and cybersecurity consulting firm S-RM Intelligence Risk and Consulting.
“It is hereby declared that the nature of the cybersecurity breach constitutes an emergency requiring immediate professional services to mitigate damages, protect sensitive data, ensure continuity of operations, and comply with applicable regulations, including state and federal breach notification requirements,” says Resolution No. 406-2025 (PDF).
Comparitech cannot independently verify Genesis’ claim. We do not know how many people are affected by the breach, what data was compromised, how attackers breached Upper Township’s network, if officials did or will pay a ransom, or how much money Genesis demanded.
“The Township recently identified suspicious activity in our network infrastructure. Our IT team, with the assistance of third-party specialists, actively worked to investigate the full scope and impact of this incident and restored our systems in a safe and secure manner as quickly as possible. This incident did not impact our ability to serve our community,” Van Zilke said.
Who is Genesis?
Genesis is a newer ransomware group that started claiming responsibility for attacks on organizations in October 2025. Genesis’ malware both steals data and locks down computer systems. Genesis then demands payment to destroy stolen data and restore infected systems.
Genesis has claimed responsibility for 28 ransomware attacks on organizations. Three of those organizations, including Upper Township’s government, publicly acknowledged data breaches that coincide with those claims.
The other two confirmed Genesis attacks are:
- Healthy Living reported a September 2025 data breach claimed by Genesis
- River City Eye Care reported a September 2025 data breach claimed by Genesis
Ransomware attacks on US government
Comparitech researchers logged 81 confirmed ransomware attacks on US government entities in 2025, and one so far in 2026.
Some of the more recent such attacks include:
- Midway, FL reported a ransomware attack earlier this month by unknown hackers
- Baltimore City Fire & Police Employee’s Retirement System says it refused to pay a ransom to Qilin following a November 2025 breach
- Mitchell County, NC is notifying people of an October 2025 data breach by unknown hackers
Ransomware attacks on government entities can both steal data and lock down computer systems. They can disrupt any number of government systems from bill payments to court records and even emergency dispatch. Organizations must pay a ransom for the stolen data and to restore systems, or else they face extended downtime, permanent data loss, and putting data subjects at increased risk of fraud.
About Upper Township, NJ
Upper Township, New Jersey is a city in the Philadelphia metropolitan area with a population of about 12,500 people.
