National Cybersecurity Expert Answers Some Hypotheticals About St. Paul Breach

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National Cybersecurity Expert Answers Some Hypotheticals About St. Paul Breach

Article Published August 2, 2025

This article originally appeared in Twin Cities / Pioneer Press on August 2, 2025.

By Mars King

Questions and theories are mounting as the city of St. Paul marks a week into the cyberattack on its internet-based computer networks, though few answers have been offered.

The breach was first detected last Friday, July 25. The city voluntarily cut off most of its own access to Wi-Fi and internet services Monday. Mayor Melvin Carter declared a state of local emergency Tuesday, and now the city is being assisted by the FBI’s and Minnesota National Guard’s cybersecurity experts.

The Pioneer Press spoke with cybersecurity expert Betsy Cooper, the founding director of the Aspen Policy Academy and former executive director of the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity, to understand the potential scope of the attack.

A Bay Area-based initiative of the Washington, D.C.-headquartered Aspen Institute, the Aspen Policy Academy is a program designed to help experts and community members get involved in policy, with a focus on cybersecurity.

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