Officials in Minnesota cities say cyberattacks targeted water systems
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Officials in an east-central Minnesota city say a cyberattack temporarily knocked its municipal water system offline on Monday — and several other communities around the state also were targeted.
The city of Braham initially reported at about 9:30 a.m. Monday its water treatment plant was offline “for an unknown reason,” and that crews were troubleshooting the problem.
In an update a few hours later, the city said the outage “was a result of a malicious cyberattack of computerized operating systems by unknown actors.”
“This attack did not alter or cause any issue to the physical water plant or water quality or safety. Rather, the attackers shut down the operating controls, which shut down the well and water treatment plant,” the city reported.
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City officials also said they were told “at least four other communities” were subject to the same type of cyberattack.
The City of Braham statement did not identify those other communities, but it said the state of Minnesota was providing assistance “to mediate any vulnerabilities, as well as investigating the source” of the attack.
Later Monday, the cities of South St. Paul, Plymouth and Maple Plain said their water systems also had been targeted.
“While the incident affected certain automated controls, established contingency procedures were immediately implemented, allowing Public Works staff to maintain normal water and wastewater operations,” the city of South St. Paul reported. “Drinking water remains safe, water and wastewater services remain fully operational, and no action is required from residents.”
South St. Paul officials said they were working with state and federal agencies in response to the incident.
“Staff continue to monitor the system and are taking the necessary steps to restore normal automated operations while maintaining reliable service,” the city said in its news release.
In Plymouth, the city said that a cyberattack is suspected in problems with communications at two water towers and several lift stations.
“Water levels and water quality are unaffected — the water is safe and there is no need for the public to adjust consumption,” Plymouth city officials reported Monday evening. “The issue is limited to equipment connected via cellular communications within the system, and crews have continued operating as normal through manual procedures.”
Maple Plain city officials reported a “a cybersecurity incident involving technology used to support portions of the city’s water utility system.”
“While the incident affected certain automated control functions, established contingency procedures were immediately implemented. As a result, Public Works staff have been able to maintain normal water and wastewater operations without interruption,” the city reported.
In Braham, city officials had initially asked residents to limit water use, because of a limited supply in the city’s water tower. But later in the day, they said the system was back online and residents could return to normal water use.
The city said the municipal water was being “filtered and treated as expected.”
Other local governments around the state have been targeted by cyberattacks in recent years, including the city of St. Paul in 2025 and Winona County earlier this year. Some school districts have also been affected.
