St. Paul continues to grapple with ransomware attack
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St. Paul says the cause of the cyberattack that has impeded the city's internal internet is due to a ransomware attack.
“There is a threat actor who has demanded a ransom, which the City of St. Paul has not paid,” said Deputy Mayor Jaime Tincher. “It was a sophisticated attack trying to get access to our systems and our information. At this point, we have found no evidence that any of our data was taken.”
Tincher said the city decided to shut down the network as a best practice to isolate and shut out those responsible for the ransomware attack.
The city has been offline for more than two weeks as officials grapple with the attack. The attack began in the early morning hours of July 25.
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Up next for St. Paul: resetting the passwords of all 3,500 city employees, a process they may take up to three days. The city says 911 response will not be impacted, and the city facilities will remain open and operational, as well as services will continue.
When asked about the cost to the city, Tincher called it a “significant event” that will cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.
They city is paying a private firm and working with experts from the Minnesota National Guard, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Department of Public Safety, the Office of Minnesota Information Technology on the problem.
The FBI is leading a criminal investigation in parallel to the city’s response.
