Minnesota Water Facilities Shift to Manual Operations Following Cyberattacks
Automated control systems across five municipal systems were targeted in recent cyber incidents, prompting immediate recovery efforts.
- By Jesse Jacobs
- Jul 31, 2026
Cyberattacks against automated control systems in five Minnesota cities recently forced municipal water utilities to temporarily switch to manual operations to maintain public service.
Facilities affected include water infrastructure and treatment systems in Braham, South St. Paul, Plymouth, Maple Plain and St. Cloud. In Braham, the attack temporarily shut down the city’s water treatment plant, but operations were restored in less than two hours. Local officials confirmed that water quality, public safety and physical infrastructure remained uncompromised throughout the incident.
Minnesota IT Services is assisting the affected communities with incident response, forensic analysis and system recovery. Preliminary findings indicate the attacks primarily targeted industrial control systems used to monitor and manage municipal water infrastructure, with some disruptions linked to remote equipment connected via cellular communications.
State and local investigations into the origin and scope of the cyberattacks remain ongoing.