The city of St. Paul, Minn., is continuing to respond to a significant cyberattack impacting access to some internal systems and online services, with the help of the Minnesota National Guard.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz activated the cyber protection assets from the Minnesota National Guard last Tuesday to help the city respond to the cyberattack. In a July 29 announcement, the governor’s office said the magnitude and complexity of the attack exceeded the city staff’s capacity.
“We are committed to working alongside the City of Saint Paul to restore cybersecurity as quickly as possible,” said Gov. Walz. “The Minnesota National Guard’s cyber forces will collaborate with city, state, and federal officials to resolve the situation and mitigate lasting impacts. Above all, we are committed to protecting the safety and security of the people of Saint Paul.”
At a press conference last Tuesday, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said that the city first noticed “suspicious activity” on its network on July 25.
Mayor Carter declared a state of emergency on July 29 in response to the digital security incident, authorizing the city’s departments of Emergency Management and Office of Technology and Communications (OTC) to mobilize support from local, state, and Federal partners to lead a coordinated response.
At a separate press conference last Thursday, Mayor Carter shared an update on the cyberattack, emphasizing a commitment to the safety of residents and the security of IT infrastructure.
“The city of St. Paul continues to respond to a digital security incident, as we shared with you a couple of days ago, that still involves a number of our city networks being taken down and offline,” Carter said, adding, “Those networks have been taken down not by some invasive activity, but by the proactive actions of our own city cybersecurity staff.”
Mayor Carter added that the city’s emergency services are available despite the cyberattack, and residents can still call 911 with the understanding that help will be on the way.
“Our top priority from the beginning of this challenge has been, as always, the safety and security of our residents. That started with ensuring that 911 operations were able to continue,” he said.
On Aug. 1, the Saint Paul City Council voted unanimously to extend Mayor Carter’s local state of emergency declared in response to the cyberattack for 90 days.
The city’s website outlines services that are impacted by the cyberattack, such as online payments.
“While many city services remain available, some may be temporarily delayed or disrupted due to limited system access. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to bring systems fully back online,” the city’s website says.
