Ramsey County has declared a “state of emergency” to help the city of St. Paul deal with a cyberattack that has now stretched into a second week.
St. Paul has kept many city internet networks shut down since July 28, after information technology staff noticed suspicious activity suggesting a cyberattack.
Ramsey County systems are not impacted in the cyberattack, said county spokesperson Casper Hill, despite Ramsey County offices and courts sharing a building with St. Paul City Hall.
The county’s emergency declaration was declared by Ramsey County Board Chair Rafael Ortega and extended by a vote of the Board of Commissioners on Tuesday morning. It will help the county request additional federal and state resources and coordinate activity with St. Paul, Hill said in an email.
The emergency vote came the morning after North St. Paul acknowledged a separate cyberattack on the city’s police department. That attack may have resulted in disclosure of personal or health information, according to a July 23 letter from a law firm working with North St. Paul.
St. Paul maintains that residents’ personal data is not at risk, but many city internet systems and phone lines remain shut down, including online building permit submissions and the police department’s records unit.
