ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter explained the response to a ransomware attack that hit the city in late July.
The mayor says the city has not paid any ransom and there is no evidence that any data was taken.
Operation Secure St. Paul
What’s next:
St. Paul City officials say they must initiate a global password reset for about 3,500 employees over the next three days. This process is called “Operation Secure St. Paul” by city leaders.
This is part of the next step in the ransomware response, which includes securing the individual security of each city employee’s user accounts and city-issued devices, officials say.
The goal is to gradually restore critical city systems after the process is complete.
City officials say the hack is “a very sophisticated attack” and that the FBI is leading the investigation parallel to the state’s response, which includes assistance from the National Guard’s IT division.
The attack also delayed the mayor’s State of the City address.
Local perspective:
In a written briefing, a city spokesperson said the limited resident data the city has access to is stored on cloud-based applications not impacted in this incident and remains secure.
St. Paul cyberattack recovery efforts
The City of St. Paul continues to recover from a major cyber security attack, prompting Mayor Melvin Carter to declare a state of emergency. Governor Tim Walz called in the Minnesota National Guard, which includes 13 cyber security experts. Lt. Col Brian Morgan, MN National Guard Director of Cyber Security is leading the team of cyber experts. He joined the FOX 9 Morning News to share the latest information, and what other cities need to learn from this cyber-attack.
St. Paul ransomware attack
The backstory:
In late July, the City of St. Paul announced it had been forced to disconnect its tech systems amid a cyberattack. Gov. Tim Walz called in cybersecurity experts from the Minnesota National Guard to assist with the city’s response. But, the attack has rendered many of the city’s services inoperable.
St. Paul officials reiterated that 911 response will not be impacted and facilities remain open and operational for city services.
The city continued to deal with the fallout of the attack last week and told city residents they could still process things like permits and business license applications the old-fashioned way: on-paper and in-person.
The Source: This story uses information shared in documents from the city of St. Paul and Mayor Carter.
