Židlochovice: town hall offline for a week, no ransom paid
On Sunday 16 March 2026 the town hall in Židlochovice, South Moravia, closed for a week after a cyber attack. Mayor Jan Vitula confirmed Deadlock ransomware and said the town does not plan to pay.
In short: Deadlock malware, email down, backups saved part of operations. The mayor refused to pay.
What the authority reported
The attack was spotted early Sunday; email and phones stopped working. Servers held accounting, cash desk, and planning data. The town reports no personal data breach so far; backups helped restore parts of operations (e.g. internal administration).
Police and Czech NUKIB are involved. Residents could handle matters temporarily in Hustopeče, Pohořelice, or Brno.
Why it matters across the border
Židlochovice is not a large city — similar size to many Slovak municipalities. The target is often an accessible office with sensitive data and a small IT team.
- Backups outside the production account and tested restores.
- Weekend response, not Monday-morning discovery only.
- A clear no-ransom policy in advance.
Technical detail: backup and ransomware protection. For municipalities: Obecný Cloud.