Minnesota activates National Guard after St. Paul cyberattack

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has activated the National Guard in response to a crippling cyberattack that struck the City of Saint Paul, the state’s capital, on Friday.

The city is currently working with local, state, and federal partners to investigate the attack and restore full functionality, and says that emergency services have been unaffected.

However, online payments are currently unavailable, and some services in libraries and recreation centers are temporarily unavailable.

“While many city services remain available, some may be temporarily delayed or disrupted due to limited system access. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to bring systems fully back online,” the city says.

The attack has persisted through the weekend, causing widespread disruptions across the city after affecting St. Paul’s digital services and critical systems.

“St. Paul officials have been working around the clock since discovering the cyberattack, closely coordinating with Minnesota Information Technology Services and an external cybersecurity vendor. Unfortunately, the scale and complexity of this incident exceeded both internal and commercial response capabilities,” reads an emergency executive order signed on Tuesday.

“As a result, St. Paul has requested cyber protection support from the Minnesota National Guard to help address this incident and make sure that vital municipal services continue without interruption.”

​The decision to deploy cyber protection support from the Minnesota National Guard comes at the city’s request, after the cyberattack’s impact exceeded St. Paul’s incident response capacity.

This will ensure the continuity of vital services for Saint Paul residents, as well as their security and safety while ongoing disruptions are being mitigated.

“We are committed to working alongside the City of Saint Paul to restore cybersecurity as quickly as possible,” Governor Walz said on Tuesday.

“The Minnesota National Guard’s cyber forces will collaborate with city, state, and federal officials to resolve the situation and mitigate lasting impacts.”

Minnesota’s capital city has a population of over 311,000 and is the state’s second-largest city, after Minneapolis.