North St. Paul cyberattack was related to phishing email, city says

Public safety and essential city services continue to operate in North St. Paul as the city investigates a recent cyberattack on the city’s Police Department.

The breach was related to a phishing email sent to one business email account within the North St. Paul Police Department, said city spokeswoman Ava Griemert.

The attack was contained to a single account. There has been no impact outside of the one affected account, Griemert said.

On Monday, the City Council voted to hire a law firm to provide legal services and approved a contract with a cybersecurity company to conduct an investigation after what is being called a “business email compromise” came to light.

“Thanks to our IT team’s swift response, the unauthorized access was quickly identified, isolated, and terminated,” the city said Tuesday.

The incident appears to be isolated, according to detective Peyton Fleming. “Public safety and all other essential city services remain fully functional,” he said in a statement.

The public should continue to call 911 or the Police Department’s nonemergency line with confidence, Fleming added.

“We are operating without interruption to our day-to-day services and the community will not be effected [sic] by the service they receive,” Fleming said.

The attack may have resulted in disclosure of personal and/or health information, according to a July 23 letter to City Manager Brian Frandle from McDonald Hopkins, the law firm the city has hired.

Any individuals affected by the breach will be contacted directly, Griemert said.

“Our teams are working closely with local, state, and federal partners to resolve the situation and restore full functionality,” Fleming said.