St. Paul Declares Emergency Following Severe Cyber Attack

St. Paul, Minnesota — Local, state, and federal agencies are investigating a significant cyber attack on the City of St. Paul. Governor Tim Walz announced on Tuesday that he has activated the Minnesota National Guard to assist in the response, following the City’s request for help.

According to the Governor’s Office, the complexity and severity of the cybersecurity incident have exceeded the city’s ability to respond on its own. During a news conference, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter declared a local state of emergency to facilitate a coordinated response. The City has also retained two national firms specializing in cybersecurity and activated its emergency operations center.

Carter revealed that cybersecurity protection systems detected suspicious activity on the City’s network last Friday. “This wasn’t a system glitch or technical error,” he said. “This was a deliberate, coordinated, digital attack, carried out by a sophisticated external actor, intentionally and criminally targeting our city’s information infrastructure.”

Jaime Wascalus, the director of the City’s Office of Technology and Communications, described the situation as a serious crime. “In response, we have mobilized local, state, and federal partners to support our investigation and response efforts. This incident remains active, and we continue to assess it in real time,” he stated.

Several agencies are participating in the investigation, including the FBI. As a precautionary measure, the City fully shut down its information systems on Monday to contain the threat. This decision is affecting access to various online services and internal systems, although 911 services continue to function, despite some “back-end challenges.”

The City is experiencing significant disruptions including loss of Wi-Fi in city buildings and issues with library collections management systems. Officials have acknowledged that some city services may be temporarily delayed or unavailable as they work to resolve these issues. “We are working to restore full functionality as quickly as possible,” the City said in a statement. “Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

Governor Walz reassured the public, stating, “We are committed to working alongside the City of Saint Paul to restore cybersecurity as quickly as possible.” The Minnesota National Guard’s cyber forces will collaborate with city, state, and federal officials to address the situation and protect the public’s safety and security.