The city of St. Paul, Minnesota, is reeling from a sweeping cyberattack that has forced officials to shut down numerous online services—everything from internet at the library to payment portals, reports the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The disruption began late Friday and prompted the city to disconnect systems as a precaution by Monday. Mayor Melvin Carter has declared a state of emergency.
"This was not a system glitch or technical error," Carter said Tuesday, per USA Today. "This was a deliberate, coordinated digital attack carried out by a sophisticated external actor intentionally and criminally targeting our city's information infrastructure." He did not speculate about who might be behind the attack, but he said no ransom had yet been demanded. The city has enlisted help from the FBI, state authorities, and outside cybersecurity firms to investigate and control the damage. Gov. Tim Walz also called on the National Guard's cyber unit to assist.
Emergency services such as 911 are still operating, but most other city-run internet systems remain offline. City officials stress that St. Paul holds minimal personal information on residents, but have not ruled out the possibility that some data could be at risk. There's currently no estimate for when services will be restored, or for the potential cost of the breach—though industry averages suggest recovery could run into the millions.
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