Conduent, a government payments contractor, acknowledges a cyberattack that has disrupted services across various states.
In a shocking turn of events, Conduent, a New Jersey-based government contractor, has confirmed a cyberattack that has impacted their operations, causing significant disruption to various public services and child support payments in several states, including Wisconsin.
The breach, identified as a ransomware incident, began in January 2025 and has affected social service agencies and transit systems across the U.S., according to reports. In Wisconsin, the outage led to delays in child support payments and affected payees who receive their payments via electronic transfer or EBT card.
Gina Paige, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families, confirmed the information to Cybersecurity Dive via email. Conduent, the vendor for the Wisconsin Child Support Trust Fund, did not disclose how the incident was initially discovered.
The attack exposed personal data such as names and Social Security numbers, although the extent of the data breach could not be immediately confirmed. Upon detection, Conduent took emergency measures by disconnecting IT systems, notifying authorities, and launching a forensic investigation.
The incident has led to a wide-reaching impact, underlining the critical nature of service providers like Conduent that handle sensitive government and personal data. The attack is part of a broader trend of ransomware and advanced cyber threats targeting service providers.
Although no specific hacking groups or vulnerabilities targeting Conduent have been identified, ransomware gangs such as RansomHub and Safepay have been active in 2025 attacks on similar organizations, emphasizing the evolving threat landscape Conduent faces.
Despite the disruption, Conduent's spokesperson confirmed that all systems have been restored, and the system is operational again. This means that child support payments will be processed once the system is operational. It is worth noting that payors' support payments, including via income withholding, were still being received during the outage.
The cybersecurity incident was contained according to Conduent's spokesperson, but they did not provide details about the specific timeline of their response to the attack. The company also did not disclose how they plan to address the data breach and protect affected individuals' personal information in the future.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the increasing threat of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and the importance of robust cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive data. As investigations continue, affected individuals are urged to monitor their accounts closely for any suspicious activity.
The cyberattack on Conduent, a service provider handling sensitive government and personal data, has highlighted the importance of robust cybersecurity measures, especially in the realm of finance and technology. The ransomware incident, which began in January 2025, exposed personal data including names and Social Security numbers, emphasizing the evolving threat landscape service providers like Conduent face. Despite the containment of the attack, Conduent has yet to disclose details about their plans to protect affected individuals' personal information in the future.
