Winona County Pays $128K Ransom After Cyberattack, Suffers Second Attack Months Later
Winona County, Minnesota, negotiated and paid a ransom of $128,539 following a cyberattack on its IT network in January. The payment was made to restore county services and protect personal information, with approximately $50,000 covered by insurance and the remaining $78,000 from county levy money. Despite these efforts, the county was attacked again in April by different cybercriminals. Both ransomware incidents forced Winona County to temporarily halt some operations, resorting to manual processes. According to the state’s 2025 Cybersecurity Incident Report, attacks against government entities in Minnesota are increasing in frequency and sophistication, with 269 public entities reporting possible cybersecurity incidents last year. 
