Winona County
April 6, 2026
•[ ransomware, data leak, government ]
Winona County, Minnesota experienced a ransomware attack that began April 6, 2026 and was discovered April 7. Officials took affected systems offline, declared a local emergency, requested Minnesota National Guard assistance, and notified the FBI. Later reporting confirmed cybercriminals released information taken from the county network; emergency services and 911 remained operational, while vital statistics and DMV systems were among those impacted.
Patriot Regional Emergency Communications Center
March 31, 2026
•[ cyberattack, service disruption, emergency services ]
A cyberattack disrupted non-emergency and business telephone lines for police, fire, and EMS departments in Pepperell, Dunstable, Townsend, and Ashby; 911 service remained functional and no private user information was reported compromised.
Winona County
January 23, 2026
•[ ransomware, forensics, emergency services ]
Winona County, Minnesota reported responding to a ransomware incident that impacted its computer network. The county engaged third-party cybersecurity and forensics specialists and coordinated with local, state, and federal law enforcement. While emergency services such as 911, fire, and emergency response operations were reported to remain operational, the incident was significant enough that county leadership declared a local emergency. Further technical details, including the ransomware variant, extent of disruption across departments, and whether data was stolen, were not provided in the brief public update.
