The city of St. Paul said in the coming days, around 3500 employees will begin the process of scrubbing their data in the aftermath of the city’s cyberattack.
On Sunday, Jennifer Lo, the city of St. Paul’s press secretary, confirmed with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS reporters that the attack experienced by the city of St. Paul on July 25 was ransomware.
Ransomware is a type of malware that restricts access to files and computer operation unless a specified cash amount is paid to the attacker.
The city of St. Paul said it has not paid any amount to the suspected hackers.
Instead, around 3500 employees will need to begin scrubbing their data, resetting passwords, and reestablishing their accounts in the coming days.
The city of St. Paul has not given an estimated time of when the process will be complete.
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The initial security breach occured on July 25, crippling the city’s online services and internal systems, shutting down internet access in government buildings, making online payments for garbage and water services unavailable, and putting the security of 3,500 city government employees’ personal data at risk.
Following the attack, a local state of emergency was enacted by the city, and additional support was requested from the FBI and even the Minnesota National Guard.
Now, Minnesota House Republicans are seeking more clarity on the scope and impact of the incident, asking Mayor Melvin Carter to provide answers on which city systems were accessed, when they could be back up and running, and whether any personal or operational data was compromised.
The lawmakers requested a response from the mayor no later than Tuesday.
