On July 30, 2025, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz activated the National Guard’s cybersecurity specialists to support the City of Saint Paul after a significant cyberattack disrupted municipal operations.

The breach occurred over the weekend, prompting city officials to shut down affected systems on Monday to contain the threat and prevent further damage. According to a public statement from the city, the incident temporarily restricted access to several internal systems and online services. Authorities emphasized ongoing collaboration with local, state, and federal agencies to manage the incident and restore full functionality as swiftly as possible.

The complexity of the cyberattack surpassed the city’s internal response capabilities, leading Governor Walz to declare a state of emergency and authorize the National Guard’s cyber protection units to intervene. “We are fully dedicated to assisting the City of Saint Paul in quickly recovering from this cybersecurity event,” the Governor affirmed.

The National Guard’s cyber team is actively working alongside government officials at multiple levels to investigate the intrusion, mitigate potential long-term effects, and secure critical infrastructure. Throughout the response, essential emergency services in Saint Paul have remained operational. However, some non-urgent services such as online payments, library systems, and public Wi-Fi have experienced temporary outages.

While shutting down systems is a common defense measure against ransomware and similar cyber threats, city authorities have chosen not to disclose specific details about the attack, including whether a ransom demand was involved. Officials confirmed that the attack targeted Saint Paul’s IT infrastructure specifically, and investigations are ongoing to determine the full scope and impact.

This incident highlights the importance of advanced cybersecurity measures, including robust incident response and cross-agency cooperation, to protect critical municipal services from evolving digital threats.

Source: https://www.securityweek.com/minnesota-activates-national-guard-in-response-to-cyberattack