On Tuesday, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz took action by signing an executive order that mobilizes the National Guard, following a cyberattack that hit the city of St. Paul.
The governor’s office confirmed that this order is now in effect. In his statement, Governor Walz emphasized his commitment: “We are focused on aiding the City of Saint Paul in swiftly restoring cybersecurity.”
Walz continued, stating, “The cyber units of the Minnesota National Guard will work closely with officials at city, state, and federal levels to tackle this issue and minimize long-term effects. Our top priority is to ensure the safety and protection of Saint Paul’s citizens.”
The attack, described as being of significant scale and complexity, surpassed the city’s response capabilities, making assistance from the National Guard essential. As a result, St. Paul also declared a state of emergency.
During a press conference, Mayor Melvin Carter mentioned that the city only has “limited” information regarding residents not working for the city and urged those individuals to protect their personal data diligently. He confirmed that the incident is confined to city systems.
According to the city’s updates, the cyberattack has temporarily disrupted access to many of its internal systems and online services. A representative from the city shared with KARE 11 that these services were intentionally disabled as a precautionary step.
Nonetheless, emergency services such as 911, along with some other essential city functions, are still operational. You can check out a full list of these services here.
As of the afternoon on Tuesday, the identity of those responsible for the cyberattack remains unknown. However, city officials confirmed that they are collaborating tightly with local, state, and federal agencies to manage the situation and restore regular operations.
Federal entities, including the FBI, are spearheading the investigation into the incident.
Please note that this story is still evolving.
