Overview

• North St. Paul’s City Council unanimously approved hiring McDonald Hopkins and its cybersecurity unit Arete Advisors to investigate a recent breach at the Police Department
• Forensic specialists are analyzing email logs and system behavior to map the full scope of the attack and identify any compromised personal or health data
• St. Paul’s online payment systems for utilities and permits remain offline while the National Guard’s cyber protection unit and FBI support secure recovery efforts
• City officials have alerted residents to beware of fraudulent invoices falsely claiming to be from the municipality and to verify communications before acting
• Authorities continue to assess ransom demands and confirm data exfiltration while the response underscores gaps in municipal IT capacity