Maryland officials have taken a key state website offline after detecting suspicious activity earlier this month. According to the Maryland Department of Information Technology (DoIT), unusual activity was identified on April 14 involving servers that support the State Department of Assessments and Taxation’s (SDAT) Real Property Search website. In response, the system was taken offline as a precaution while officials investigate.
The Real Property Search tool, which is commonly used by residents, businesses, and real estate professionals to access property records, will remain unavailable until the system is cleared for public use.
State officials say early findings suggest the affected systems only contained public information that was already accessible through the website. At this time, DoIT does not expect a broader cybersecurity threat to state systems, though the investigation remains ongoing. In the meantime, SDAT is urging residents to avoid third-party websites or unofficial links claiming to provide property records, warning that those sources may not be secure.
Anyone needing property information while the system is offline is encouraged to contact their local SDAT Real Property Assessment Office, which officials say is prepared to assist during the outage. The state is also reminding residents and businesses to follow basic cybersecurity practices, including keeping devices updated, using strong and unique passwords, enabling multi-factor authentication, and being cautious of phishing attempts.
Officials say they are working to restore the system as quickly as possible and will provide updates once the investigation is complete.
