Minnesota National Guard to Assist Winona County After Cyberattack Disrupts Services
Summary
A cyberattack that began April 6 disrupted Winona County systems and slowed some services. Minnesota authorized National Guard support; 911 and fire response remain operational as officials investigate and restore systems.
Key points
- County officials said the cyberattack began April 6 and disrupted systems used for administrative and public-facing operations.
- 911, fire response and other emergency operations remain functional, while some county services are delayed.
- Governor Tim Walz authorized Minnesota National Guard personnel and resources to support response and recovery.
- The county is coordinating with state agencies, the FBI and external cybersecurity specialists to contain the incident and restore systems.
- Authorities have not disclosed the attack method or whether sensitive data was accessed; the investigation is ongoing.
- The article says the incident follows a ransomware incident the county reported in January 2026.
Article Details
- Victim Organization
- Winona County
- Incident Type
- Cyberattack; the nature of the intrusion has not been disclosed, and ransomware involvement in the current incident is unconfirmed.
- Operational Impact
- The incident began April 6 and continued overnight into April 7, disrupting critical county systems and significantly impairing administrative and public-facing operations. Other county services experienced delays, while 911, fire response, and other emergency operations remained operational. State and federal partners and external cybersecurity specialists assisted with containment and recovery.
- Ransom Or Extortion
- No ransom or extortion activity was reported for the current incident. Officials had not determined whether it involved ransomware. The article separately reports that the county disclosed a ransomware incident in January 2026.
- Claim Status
- confirmed