St. Paul, Minnesota’s capital city, took drastic defensive measures by shutting down its government networks following a major cyberattack that began on Friday. The severity of the incident prompted Governor Tim Walz to issue an executive order activating the Minnesota National Guard’s cyber forces to assist in recovery. In a statement, Gov. Walz emphasized a commitment to restoring cybersecurity and protecting the more than 300,000 residents of St. Paul, making it one of the largest U.S. cities to face such an attack in 2025.
Mayor Melvin Carter described the network shutdown as a necessary precaution to prevent the hackers from gaining further access and to “preserve system integrity.” He characterized the event not as a system glitch, but as a “deliberate, coordinated digital attack carried out by a sophisticated external actor.” City officials are working around the clock with Minnesota Information Technology Services and an external cybersecurity vendor to manage the crisis, which Gov. Walz noted had exceeded both internal and commercial response capabilities.
The shutdown has caused significant disruptions to public services. Wi-Fi access in all city buildings, including libraries and recreation centers, has been disabled. Furthermore, all online payment systems are unavailable. However, the city has assured residents they will not incur late fees for utility payments during the outage and has provided alternative phone numbers for non-emergency issues. Crucially, officials confirmed that the 911 emergency system remains fully operational.
While city officials have not specified the nature of the cyberattack, Mayor Carter stated during a press conference that he was not aware of any ransom demand. The city’s primary concern, according to the mayor, is the security of data it holds on government employees, as he argued that the city does not maintain extensive personal information on its general residents. The investigation into the breach is ongoing as authorities work to mitigate the damage caused by the “criminal, external threat actor.”
This incident highlights a growing trend of cyber threats targeting municipal governments in the state. In November, a ransomware attack targeted the organization running the park system in the neighboring city of Minneapolis. Similarly, a prominent native tribe in Minnesota also warned of a cyber incident that impacted its local government services in April, underscoring the persistent and evolving challenge of cybersecurity for public institutions.
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