KINGSPORT, Tenn.–Appalachian Community Federal Credit Union has become the latest to announce its members’ personal and financial data has been exposed in a cyber breach.
According to reports filed with federal law enforcement and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office on Dec. 31, 2025, on Oct. 7, 2025, the $197-million Appalachian Community FCU said it discovered a disruption to its computer systems, which it responded to by taking its network offline and engaging forensic specialists to investigate.
By Oct. 10, 2025, it was confirmed that data had been taken from the network, the credit union said.
“A thorough review determined that sensitive personal information was involved, and affected individuals were notified after the review concluded on Dec. 1, 2025,” according to the statement.
Ransomware Attack Cited
Appalachian Community said the breach was the result of a ransomware attack by the group known as Qilin, which claimed to have published 75 GB of the organization’s data on the dark web on Nov. 18, 2025. That data included Social Security numbers and financial account information.
The credit union stated that, as of the time of notification, there was no evidence of actual or attempted fraud or misuse as a result of the incident.
ACFCU is encouraging members to enroll in the free credit monitoring and fraud assistance services being offered through Cyberscout, a TransUnion company, and to also place a fraud alert or security freeze on your credit file to help prevent unauthorized accounts from being opened in your name.
At least one law firm is already seeking plaintiffs for potential litigation.
Several Other Breaches Announced
As the CU Daily has been reporting, the breach at Appalachian Community FCU is only the latest announced by credit unions in recent weeks. As reported here, Metrowest Community FCU in Massachusetts said its data has been breached, as has Meridian, Conn.-based Ellafi Federal Credit Union, as reported here. Both CUs said their systems had been penetrated by the ransomware group Akira.
Not Part of Even Larger Breach
None of the three breaches listed above are part of the breach announced by Marquis Software Solutions, where at least 74 banks and credit unions have had member/customer data compromised.
