North Dakota
Water treatment plant in North Dakota suffered ransomware attack | StateScoop
A water treatment plant in northern North Dakota last month fell victim to a ransomware attack, forcing the facility’s operators to temporarily revert to reading gauges manually.
A spokesperson for the City of Minot, North Dakota, on Wednesday confirmed recent statements by officials claiming that the region’s water supply was “safe at all times” during the incident. According to a letter provided by the city to the FBI, seen by this publication, staff detected the ransomware on March 14, requiring “manual procedures” for about 16 hours, before a replacement server could be installed.
Jennifer Kleen, Minot’s communications and engagement manager, said ransomware was detected on the Minot Water Treatment Plant’s SCADA system, “which is kind of like a dashboard system. It brings all of those gauge readings to one spot.” Kleen said staff usually do manual gauge readings anyway, but that more frequent manual readings had been required while the facility’s supervisory control and data acquisition system was offline.
Minot’s water treatment facility serves the city, North Dakota’s fourth-most populous with roughly 50,000 people, and several other communities in a region called the Northwest Area Water Supply, for a total of about 80,000 water drinkers. (The Northwest Area Water Supply, or NAWS, has its own troubled history, facing lawsuits from the time construction of water pipelines began in 2002, until 2019 when an appeals court upheld a previous court’s ruling in favor of North Dakota. The disputes were brought by Manitoba, the Canadian province, which opposed details of interbasin water transfers that were to be performed in North Dakota, and the State of Missouri, which was concerned about depletions to its river system.)
According to the city’s letter, a note from those who’d installed the ransomware was found on the now-uninstalled SCADA server, but it did not contain a dollar figure, and the city did not pay any amount. When asked which ransomware outfit was responsible for the attack, Kleen said she didn’t know.
Kleen said that the city’s technical recovery is nearly complete: the plant is now using an old server to support its gauge readings while staff prepare a new server. The city’s letter notes that the incident has provided “opportunities for training exercises, improved communication, and preventative system design.” In a local TV news interview, Minot City Manager Tom Joyce said he wished he’d rallied a “crisis action team” — including the police chief, senior city executives and the city’s public information officer — sooner after discovering what had happened, “to ensure we’re all on the same page right away.”
Water utilities have been favorite targets of cyber campaigns led by China and Iran. A 2024 report from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General identified dozens of water systems around the United States with vulnerabilities bearing varying levels of risk. An assessment of more than 1,000 drinking water systems, serving 193 million people, found 97 systems with critical- or high-risk vulnerabilities, and 211 systems with “medium” or “low” risk vulnerabilities, such as “having externally visible open portals.”
There have been efforts over the last several years, by the federal government and states, to urge utilities to strike sturdier cybersecurity postures. A bill that was making its way through Congress last month would help small and rural water utilities update their systems and comply with the latest cybersecurity standards. And New York last month introduced its own “first-in-nation” cybersecurity standards, along with funding to implement them, for water treatment facilities.
But in addition to New York being one of the only states to focus so heavily on the utilities cybersecurity, such upgrades can take months or years to complete — time they may not have, particularly after the United States and Israel initiated strikes on Iran. A group of information-sharing groups that included the Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center last month warned of a “highly volatile” threat environment that includes the possibility of “increased cyberattacks from Iranian state-sponsored actors, hacktivists, and cybercriminal groups aligned with Iran.”
WASHINGTON — The North Dakota Department of Emergency Services has been recognized for its wildfire prevention efforts with a national Bronze Smokey Bear Award.
“These awardees demonstrate what fire prevention looks like in action,” said U.S. Forest Service Deputy Chief Sarah Fisher. “Their efforts protect lives, support firefighters and make a real difference in communities across the country.”
May is Wildfire Awareness Month, and with North Dakota experiencing another active spring wildfire season, each fire prevented is one that local responders don’t have to put out, underscoring the importance of each individual’s responsibility to work and recreate safely outdoors. The award to the N.D. Department of Emergency Services (NDDES) recognizes its efforts in communicating just that.
The communications team is led by Strategic Communications Chief Alison Vetter and is supported by Autonomous Systems and Communications Specialist Clint Fleckenstein.
According to information from the Forest Service, the team’s creative products are visually appealing, engaging and effective. The “Learn Before You Burn” tagline urges North Dakotans to visit the interactive N.D. Fire Declarations and Burn Restrictions map to learn their local restrictions, fire danger and red flag warnings before burning or recreating outdoors. Vetter and Fleckenstein consistently take initiative to address fire prevention issues proactively and go above and beyond to become the best possible storytellers of wildfire prevention messaging.
Alison Vetter
Their statewide efforts identify unique and effective avenues to communicate these important public safety topics, addressing top human-caused fire causes like open burning and equipment use through reels, interviews, Gas Station TV, visits with local students, and GoodHealthTV kiosks found in local health units, schools and other public buildings.
During the historic October 2024 wildfires, NDDES mobilized the Joint Information Center, responding to the elevated need for education, prevention and response to determine messaging needs in real time. This included topics like publicizing daily fire danger, sharing resources for affected landowners, advocating for defensible space and safety tips, and messaging ways to minimize fire risk when harvesting, hunting, or enjoying the outdoors. Alison and her team worked over the winter of 2024-2025 to identify prevention efforts and causes, and crafted effective communications strategies to reduce wildfire occurrence, which proved necessary into an active spring 2025 fire season as well. After the devastation of the October 2024 wildfires, they created a documentary to highlight the value and appreciation for those who responded to the call and showcase the unique way North Dakota communities show up for one another in crisis.
The 2026 Smokey Bear Awards will be presented at the National Association of State Foresters’ annual meeting in Lexington, Kentucky, in September.
North Dakota
Armstrong directs flags at half-staff Thursday in observance of Peace Officers Memorial Day
BISMARCK, N.D. – Gov. Kelly Armstrong has directed all government agencies to fly the United States and North Dakota flags at half-staff on Thursday, May 14, and encourages North Dakotans to do the same at their homes and businesses, in observance of national Peace Officers Memorial Day.
The governor’s directive is in accordance with a proclamation issued by President Donald Trump, who also proclaimed May 10-16 as national Police Week.
Armstrong will join North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley and Supreme Court Chief Justice Lisa Fair McEvers in delivering remarks during a North Dakota Peace Officers Memorial Service at 7 p.m. Thursday in Memorial Hall of the State Capitol. North Dakota’s 69 fallen peace officers will be remembered and honored during the service, and the Capitol windows will be lit to display a “Thin Blue Line” as a mark of respect for all law enforcement officers, past and present.
MINOT, N.D. (KMOT) – Todd Cresap, who has served as a North Dakota district judge since 2009, announced he will retire in July.
Cresap wrote a letter to Gov. Kelly Armstrong, R-ND, he would retire effective July 17.
In the letter, Cresap said he had ‘mixed emotions’ over the decision, calling it an ‘honor’ to serve, but said it was time for someone ‘with a new perspective’ to serve.
A Valley City native, Cresap studied at Minot State University and the University of North Dakota.
Then-Gov. John Hoeven appointed Cresap to fill a judgeship in the Northwest Judicial District in 2009 that was created by the legislature. He served in that district until 2014, when it was split into Northwest and North Central.
Voters elected Cresap to the bench in 2012, 2016, and 2022. He served as a lawyer in private practice before his appointment as judge.
Armstrong can appoint a replacement to fill Cresap’s remaining term from a nominating committee’s list, ask the committee for new candidates, or call a special election.
The North Central District covers Ward, Mountrail, and Burke Counties.
Copyright 2026 KFYR. All rights reserved.
-
Kansas1 minute agoKHP says 135 spill was human waste
-
Kentucky7 minutes agoWhich Kentucky Derby horses are running in the 2026 Preakness Stakes?
-
Louisiana13 minutes agoLouisiana National Guard troops return to Washington for Trump task force
-
Maine19 minutes agoA top issue in Maine and Oklahoma governors’ races? Tribal sovereignty. – ICT
-
Maryland25 minutes agoMaryland Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for May 13, 2026
-
Michigan31 minutes agoPuppies, prom and pancakes: What to do in West Michigan this weekend
-
Massachusetts37 minutes agoBattenfeld: Have Massachusetts voters finally had enough of soft on crime?
-
Minnesota43 minutes agoCaribou Coffee in Minnesota launches value menu