Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has enlisted the National Guard to address the aftermath of a cyberattack that struck the state capital, the city of Saint Paul, last week.
It is reported that city authorities are currently working with state and federal officials to investigate the attack and restore system functionality. However, online payments may still be unavailable in the city, and some services in libraries and recreational centers are temporarily not working.
The attack continued throughout the past weekend, causing numerous disruptions across the city and affecting digital services and critical systems in St. Paul. It is worth noting that the population of Minnesota’s capital exceeds 311,000 people, making it the second-largest city in the state after Minneapolis.
“While many city services remain operational, some may be temporarily unavailable or paused due to limited system access. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to fully restore system operations,” reads the statement from city authorities.
Authorities emphasize that since the attack was detected, the Saint Paul authorities have been working around the clock, coordinating their efforts with the Minnesota state IT service and an external cybersecurity contractor.
“Unfortunately, the scale and complexity of this incident have exceeded both internal and commercial response capabilities,” authorities acknowledged this week and declared a state of emergency. “As a result, St. Paul was compelled to seek cybersecurity support from the Minnesota National Guard to mitigate the impact of this incident and ensure the uninterrupted operation of essential municipal services.”
No details about the attack itself have been disclosed yet. According to St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, the attack was discovered on July 25 and was described as a “deliberate and coordinated digital attack carried out by a sophisticated external threat actor intentionally and criminally targeting the city’s information infrastructure.”
Based on the system shutdown, it can be assumed that St. Paul has suffered from a ransomware attack. However, city authorities refrain from disclosing details about the nature of the incident and whether any ransom demands have been made.