A statewide response is underway after more than 30 community water systems across Minnesota were targeted in a “coordinated cyberattack,” officials said on Tuesday.
A handful of cities had reported on Monday that their water utilities had dealt with cybersecurity incidents that caused temporary equipment malfunctions. The issue now appears to be far more widespread.
RELATED: Cyberattack blamed for water issues in Braham, Plymouth; others possibly at risk
Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) said the attacks on Sunday and Monday targeted “operational technology.” No ransom was detected, and service to residents continued. The agency did not disclose which communities were affected, citing state law classifying cyberattack reports as nonpublic information.
Cities respond
In Plymouth, officials started noticing technology malfunctions at some facilities Sunday night and switched to a backup plan to run those systems manually. Officials said there was no disruption to public water service.
“There wasn’t a hiccup in any service to the public,” said Michael Thompson, Plymouth’s public works director. “It is safe. We have checks and controls when something like this comes up and we can run a manual operation to ensure quality and quantity isn’t affected.”
Officials in other cities 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS checked with, from Maple Plain to South St. Paul, described similar problems over the past two days. In Braham, Mayor Nate George said the system was offline for under two hours Monday morning after crews isolated it.
“We never ran out of water, and the system was restored without much interruption,” George said.
RELATED: Cyberattacks on local governments in Minnesota happening ‘almost every day’
One Plymouth resident said she did not notice any changes during the attack. She said a disruption would have had a major effect on her family.
“We didn’t notice anything different” said Kiley Gay. “As a mom, water is important for baths, drinking water. That would have affected us greatly if something had happened to our water.”
Critical infrastructure
Public utilities across the state have been warned they are vulnerable to cyberattacks much like what just occurred.
Water services are considered critical infrastructure, and according to an annual report from MNIT, there were a total of nine cyberattacks on critical infrastructure all of last year. Now, there are more than 30 all at once.
In recent years, Gov. Tim Walz’s administration has focused resources on this issue.
In 2022, Walz issued an executive order laying out that “critical infrastructure is facing increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.” The order required annual assessments certified by the Minnesota Department of Health, mandated reporting and other response plans.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS asked the state how many cities have passed the annual assessments but has not received a response.
What’s next?
The state says it is working with local, tribal and federal officials to investigate the incident. Law enforcement, including the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the FBI, are also working to determine what happened.
“Cyberattacks against critical infrastructure require a coordinated, whole-of-government response,” said John Israel, MNIT assistant commissioner and Minnesota chief information security officer. “MNIT is working side by side with our partners to share intelligence, support affected communities, and help utilities restore operations safely while strengthening defenses against future attacks.”
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