Cyberwarfare

Minnesota Deploys National Guard After St. Paul Cyberattack

Published JUL 31 2025

Story

Above: The State Capitol building in St. Paul, Minnesota. Image credit: Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

The Facts

St. Paul, Minnesota, reportedly detected suspicious activity on its internal systems early Friday morning last week, with the mayor describing the incident in a Tuesday press conference as a "deliberate, coordinated, digital attack" by external actors targeting the city's information infrastructure.
Independent
The Epoch Times
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz issued an executive order in response on Tuesday, activating cyber protection assets from the Minnesota National Guard after the magnitude and complexity of the cybersecurity incident exceeded the city's response capacity.
MN
TechRadar
The city also initiated a complete shutdown of its information systems on Monday as a defensive measure to contain the threat, causing Wi-Fi outages in city buildings, disruptions to libraries and recreation centers, and suspension of online payment systems.
Twin Cities
Ars Technica
Emergency services including 911 continue to operate normally, but many city services remain offline including public computer terminals in libraries, internal network applications, and online bill payment systems while the investigation continues.
Twin Cities
Ars Technica
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter declared a state of local emergency and the city is working with the FBI, Minnesota Information Technology Services, and two national cybersecurity firms to investigate the attack and restore systems.
X
TechRadar
Ars Technica
The investigation remains ongoing with officials still working to determine what data was accessed or stolen, though no ransom demands have been publicly disclosed and the precise nature of the attack has not been revealed.
TechCrunch
Twin Cities
guardian

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

The cyberattack on St. Paul represents an unprecedented threat, exposing the city’s vulnerability to digital warfare. With a coordinated assault overwhelming the city’s defenses, officials had no choice but to shut down all systems to protect vital infrastructure. The deployment of the National Guard highlights the severity of this breach — a wake-up call that cities must urgently address their cybersecurity weaknesses before more cities fall victim to such attacks.

MPR News

Narrative B

The cyberattack on St. Paul is likely a ransomware incident, with hackers using data-scrambling software to disrupt city services and demand payment. The swift shutdown of systems on July 28 and the involvement of the FBI point to a well-orchestrated effort to extort the city. While officials claim measures are in place to contain the damage and protect sensitive data, local governments are often ill-equipped to handle such sophisticated breaches, putting vital infrastructure at risk.