Winona County Commissioners confirmed the ransom in an update following two separate ransomware incidents in January and April.
WINONA, Minn. — Winona County officials say they negotiated and paid a $128,539.57 ransom following a cyberattack in January.
Winona County Commissioners confirmed the ransom in an update following two separate ransomware incidents in January and April. According to the update, the county’s computer network was targeted in both attacks, and officials worked with third-party forensic experts and federal law enforcement.
“Although making the payment in connection with the January incident was a difficult choice, we determined it was the necessary approach to best serve the interests of Winona County residents and employees,” the update reads.
The first incident was detected Jan. 22, 2026, and notification letters were sent on May 12, 2026, to the people impacted. The second incident was detected April 7, 2026, and is being investigated. The county said it will send written notifications to individuals who may have been impacted once it completes a comprehensive review.
Officials added that if they find anyone’s Social Security number or driver’s license number was impacted by the incident, an offer of complimentary credit monitoring and related resources will be included with the notification letter.
“While Winona County has invested in the security of its digital data and computer network, these incidents have shown that sophisticated criminal actors continue to pose an on-going threat to all computer network systems,” county officials said in the update. “The Commissioners assure the citizens of Winona County that aggressive measures have been and will continue to be taken to minimize the risk of a similar event occurring again in Winona County.”
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