The First Baptist Church of Hammond, one of the largest and most influential independent Baptist churches in the United States, has allegedly fallen victim to the notorious Rhysida ransomware group. A post attributed to the cybercrime syndicate claims the church’s network was compromised, with the attackers demanding a ransom of 5 Bitcoin, threatening to sell “exclusive, unique, and impressive data” to a single buyer.
Established in 1887, the First Baptist Church of Hammond grew into a megachurch with significant influence, once being listed as the 12th largest church in America. It is a major institution in its community, operating educational and missionary programs. The alleged attack on such a prominent religious organization highlights the indiscriminate nature of ransomware gangs, who are increasingly targeting non-traditional and non-profit entities. The Rhysida group, known for its attacks on sectors like healthcare and education, appears to have added a significant religious institution to its list of victims.
While the church has not officially named the Rhysida group, it has published a “Notice of Data Event” on its website acknowledging a cyberattack in July 2025. The notice confirms that an “unknown cyber actor accessed our computer network and used a virus to lock files stored on certain computer systems.” It also states that files containing sensitive information of staff and missionaries, including government identifiers like Social Security, driver’s license, and passport numbers, were exfiltrated. The church has taken its network offline and is investigating the incident with the help of cybersecurity professionals.
