Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cybersecurity topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
North St. Paul reports limited email breach; forensic review under way
Summary
The city reported an email compromise affecting 23 accounts and said it is working with insurance, legal counsel and an IT forensic firm to determine whether private data were exposed and whether notice is required.
Public concern about a reported cyber incident surfaced during public comment and the council’s regular reports. A resident asked whether North St. Paul had one or two data breaches after hearing an NPR report; the city manager later updated the council that forensic investigators found the intrusion affected 23 email accounts.
During public comment, John Schmall asked if the city had multiple breaches or conflicting public reports after hearing a radio report that an officer opened an email that triggered issues. "Did we have two data breaches?" he asked. The city manager responded in the staff report that the city is still working with its insurance carrier, a law firm and an IT forensic team and that investigators had identified a breach of 23 emails. "We're looking to see what information was in those emails to see if we have to send out letters to those people," the manager said, adding that the breach could have been worse and that the incident was caught quickly.
City staff also clarified the incident appears to be a single event that did not spread from the city to St. Paul. The city said it will determine whether written notices are required for affected individuals after reviewing the contents of the breached mailboxes.
The council received the update as part of department reports and did not take formal action regarding the cyber incident during the meeting.
