Police department in North St. Paul undergoes cyber attack, authorities confirm
The city of North St. Paul is currently dealing with the aftermath of a cyberattack, while the city of St. Paul is still responding to a separate, more extensive attack.
North St. Paul Cyberattack
Last week, the North St. Paul Police Department experienced a cyberattack involving a phishing email that compromised a single business email account. The city's IT team quickly identified, isolated, and terminated the breach, ensuring that public safety and essential city services remain operational.
To investigate the full scope of the attack and determine whether any data was leaked, the North St. Paul City Council has approved a contract with the law firm McDonald Hopkins. The firm's cybersecurity branch, Arete Advisors, will conduct the investigation and ensure all cybersecurity threats are addressed and mitigated.
St. Paul Cyberattack
In a separate incident, the city of St. Paul announced a cyberattack on July 25. This attack has disrupted several city services, including online payment systems, though emergency 911 remains operational. As of Monday evening, several city-only services in St. Paul remain offline.
The city has not yet engaged cybersecurity experts from McDonald Hopkins or Arete Advisors, but the Minnesota National Guard has been activated to help St. Paul respond to the attack.
Roles of McDonald Hopkins and Arete Advisors
In the North St. Paul case, McDonald Hopkins provides legal services, while Arete Advisors conducts cybersecurity forensics and investigation to ascertain the scope of the attack, data leakage, and remediation efforts.
Other Noteworthy Information
The city council voted to approve a contract with McDonald Hopkins, indicating their intent to work with the firm. However, as of now, the city of St. Paul has not announced any plans to work with cybersecurity advisors from Arete Advisors.
It is important to note that the cyberattacks in both cities are not related. The St. Paul attack occurred less than a week after the North St. Paul Police Department experienced a similar attack.
[1] North St. Paul City Council Approves Contract with McDonald Hopkins for Cybersecurity Investigation [2] St. Paul Experiences Cyberattack, Services Disrupted [3] Emergency 911 Remains Operational in St. Paul Amid Ongoing Cyberattack [4] North St. Paul Police Department Contains Phishing-Related Cyberattack [5] Cyber Insurance to Cover Expenses for North St. Paul's Cyberattack Investigation
- The news about the North St. Paul City Council approving a contract with law firm McDonald Hopkins underscores the city's strategy to address the aftermath of a recent cyberattack, as technology experts from their affiliated cybersecurity branch, Arete Advisors, will work on the investigation.
- The ongoing St. Paul cyberattack has disrupted various city services, and while no collaboration with Arete Advisors has been announced yet, the city is receiving assistance from technology experts, such as the Minnesota National Guard, to manage the situation.
