Kaufman County OEM Maintained Critical Communications during a Cyberattack

Overview

A state-sponsored ransomware attack had already forced Kaufman County into recovery mode when a second, unrelated failure knocked fiber internet offline for the Sheriff’s Office, dispatch, and county jail. With repairs days away, the Office of Emergency Management deployed its Plum Enterprise Case and had emergency internet running within minutes. The kit supported 200 to 250 concurrent users across public safety and administrative departments and held steady for five days until primary connectivity was restored.

About

Kaufman County, Texas, relies on its Office of Emergency Management to coordinate preparedness and response across the region’s public safety agencies. Led by Director Steve Howie, the OEM works alongside the Sheriff’s Office, dispatch, fire departments, EMS, and constables. Dispatch operations alone support hundreds of law enforcement, fire, and EMS units across the county.

Challenge

Maintaining Redundant Internet Connectivity During a Cyberattack and Infrastructure Failure

Kaufman County, Texas, faced a cascading technology crisis that put mission-critical communications at risk. The incident began with a sophisticated, state-sponsored ransomware attack that compromised the county’s primary network. Fortunately, the Sheriff’s Office and Office of Emergency Management (OEM) operated on an air-gapped network, allowing public safety operations to continue while county IT teams worked to contain the breach.

However, several days into the recovery effort, an unrelated but devastating failure occurred. The hardware responsible for delivering fiber internet connectivity to the Sheriff’s Office suddenly went offline. This single point of failure eliminated internet access for dispatch, law enforcement administration, and the county jail, all systems that rely on connectivity to function.

Dispatch operations alone support hundreds of law enforcement, fire, and EMS units across the county. Without emergency internet service, dispatchers could not effectively coordinate responses, jail staff could not process bookings, and administrative systems critical to daily operations were brought to a halt.

The situation created a perfect storm: an active cyber incident combined with a physical infrastructure failure, all while public safety agencies still needed to operate at full capacity.

Solution

Rapid Failover Internet Using a Mobile Broadband Kit

With traditional connectivity unavailable and repair timelines measured in days, Kaufman County needed an immediate failover internet solution. Howie turned to the county’s Plum Enterprise Case, a mobile broadband kit designed to deliver redundant internet connectivity during emergencies.

The deployment required no support or complex configuration. The Plum Enterprise Case was placed in the county’s data room, connected to the internal network via ethernet, and powered on.

“We literally plugged it in, turned it on, and it just started working. Within minutes, we had emergency internet back up and running.”

The Plum Enterprise Case immediately restored cellular backup internet to dispatch and the Sheriff’s Office. What began as a temporary lifeline for critical systems quickly scaled to support nearly 200–250 concurrent users across public safety and administrative departments.

Dispatch resumed full operations, supporting law enforcement, fire departments, EMS agencies, and constables throughout the county. Jail systems regained connectivity for booking and inmate management, while administrative teams maintained reporting, purchasing, and coordination with state agencies overseeing the cyber response.

Despite the surge in users, the system remained stable for five consecutive days until primary connectivity was restored.

“That right there speaks volumes for that piece of equipment. It carried that many people on an emergency network for five days.”

Outcome

Continuous Mission Critical Communications for Public Safety Operations

The deployment of the Plum Enterprise Case ensured that Kaufman County’s emergency operations remained functional during a multi-day outage. Dispatch and the Sheriff’s Office maintained critical communications across law enforcement, fire, and EMS agencies. The jail continued to process bookings, and administrative tasks, including purchasing and payroll, proceeded uninterrupted.

Beyond the immediate crisis, Kaufman County’s experience underscored the importance of having a reliable, redundant internet connection in place for unexpected events. Plum Cases have since become an integral part of regional emergency management planning, with neighboring counties and cities adopting similar solutions for disaster recovery and operational continuity.

“I swear by Plum Cases. They’ve been a game-changer for our emergency management operations, and I recommend them to every agency I work with.”
— Steve Howie