Minnesota National Guard deployed to help Winona County after cyberattack

Gov. Tim Walz sent the Minnesota National Guard to southeastern Minnesota this week after Winona County detected a ransomware attack on its computer network on Tuesday. 

Walz said the cyberattack "disrupted critical systems and digital services."

In a statement, the county said affected systems have been taken offline and residents should expect delays, but that emergency services are still operating. This is the second cyberattack on Winona County this year; the first was in January. 

"Based upon our preliminary investigation, this is not the same cybercriminal responsible for the prior attack on Winona County," the county said.

The Minnesota National Guard faced a cybersecurity attack in St. Paul just last summer. In that case, the group behind the attack claimed to have posted online 43 gigabytes of data stolen from the city's systems. At the time, Mayor Melvin Carter said the group demanded a ransom, which the city did not pay. 

"I think cities and counties don't have as many resources as, say, a large company that's gonna have more money that they can devote to the problem," said Jonathan Wrolstad, professor of cybersecurity at the University of Minnesota. "They can't stop offering those important services to residents because they're vital to our day-to-day lives, so I think that also makes them a lucrative target."

Wrolstad said often these criminals want to deploy ransomware and try to extort money from local governments. 

The Minnesota Cybersecurity Incident Report for 2025, published in January, said "cyberattacks against federal, state and local governments continue to rise in both frequency and sophistication". 

Wrolstad said these reports can vary widely in severity. He sees the value in the state trying to help public entities that often have fewer resources from a technical standpoint.