{"id":241825,"date":"2026-07-09T17:13:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T21:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/09\/city-of-winkler-hit-by-cyberattack-winnipeg-free-press\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T18:00:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T22:00:08","slug":"city-of-winkler-hit-by-cyberattack-winnipeg-free-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testing.news-you-need.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/09\/city-of-winkler-hit-by-cyberattack-winnipeg-free-press\/","title":{"rendered":"City of Winkler hit by cyberattack \u2013 Winnipeg Free Press"},"content":{"rendered":"

City of Winkler hit by cyberattack \u2013 Winnipeg Free Press<\/a><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.winnipegfreepress.com\/breakingnews\/2026\/07\/09\/city-of-winkler-hit-by-cyberattack<\/a><\/p>\n

Publish Date: 2026-07-09 17:13:00<\/a><\/p>\n

Source Domain: www.winnipegfreepress.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Author: <\/a><\/p>\n

Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points. <\/p>\n

\t\t\tWinkler has become the latest Manitoba municipality to grapple with cybersecurity incidents.
\nOn Tuesday morning, the city\u2019s cybersecurity protection systems detected an incident, prompting officials to isolate affected systems and take certain municipal systems and services offline as a precaution while the situation is assessed.
\nPhone and payment systems are unavailable as the city, about 115 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg, works to resolve the issue.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMIKAELA MACKENZIE \/ FREE PRESS FILES
\n Pictured, Winkler City Hall. The Manitoba municipality, about 115 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg, is the latest to grapple with cybersecurity incidents leaving phone and payment systems unavailable as the city works to resolve the issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re fortunate that we have a very good IT team, and security has always been a significant investment for us,\u201d Winkler Mayor Henry Siemens said. \u201cSo we were maybe better prepared than others potentially would have been because of the strength of our staff and the strength of our security protocols.\u201d
\nSeveral Manitoba municipalities have had to contend with cyber incidents in recent years.
\nIn April, the RM of Gimli announced that its information technology systems had been affected by a cybersecurity incident. Around the same time, the ransomware group Payload claimed responsibility for an attack on the municipality and threatened to release sensitive municipal data unless its demands were met. The RM has not confirmed whether Payload was responsible for the incident.
\nAbout a month later, Gimli said its systems had been restored.
\nThe RM of Ritchot experienced a cybersecurity incident in December 2024 that disrupted municipal servers and systems.
\nIn one of Manitoba\u2019s most significant municipal cyber incidents, about $470,000 was stolen from an account belonging to the Municipality of WestLake-Gladstone in a cyberattack between December 2019 and January 2020.
\n\u201cThe Association of Manitoba Municipalities recognizes that cybersecurity is an increasing concern for municipalities across the province as cyber threats become more frequent and complex,\u201d the organization said in a statement provided to the Free Press on Thursday.
\n\u201cAs the province advances cybersecurity governance initiatives, the (association) will continue to advocate for a collaborative approach to establishing baseline cybersecurity controls and guidance for municipalities, particularly in response to recommendations identified by the auditor general.\u201d
\nToronto cybersecurity consultant Ritesh Kotak said cyber attacks on municipal governments are becoming increasingly common as more public services rely on digital systems.
\n\u201cOur lives are becoming more digital, and so is the infrastructure,\u201d he said. \u201cAs a result, if the appropriate cybersecurity measures are not put in place and there aren\u2019t business continuity plans, systems will go down.\u201d
\nKotak said municipalities are attractive targets because they store valuable personal information.
\nHe added that smaller municipalities can be more vulnerable because they often have fewer resources to invest in cybersecurity and legacy system upgrades.
\n\u201cTraditionally, what we\u2019ve seen is larger municipalities have made the investment compared to smaller municipalities,\u201d Kotak explained.
\nSiemens said Winkler has engaged external cybersecurity experts and specialists to assist with the investigation and recovery efforts and police have been notified.
\n\u201cAt this time, we don\u2019t know whether any personal information has been compromised \u2014 staff, residents or anything like that at all,\u201d Siemens said. \u201cIf we do find that personal information has been affected, appropriate notification procedures will be followed.\u201d
\nSiemens said it will likely be several days before the city has a full understanding of the nature of the cybersecurity incident.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a little too early to tell,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re focused on restoring our services as quickly as possible, but we\u2019re doing all of that in a very controlled, secure manner. We\u2019re busy testing absolutely everything before we bring it back online. We\u2019re testing our backups to find out if any of them have been compromised, and that is an extremely slow, very tedious process.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter <\/p>\n

City hall, public works and the Meridian Exhibition Centre administration offices will remain closed today and Friday.
\nThe Winkler Aquatic Centre and Meridian Exhibition Centre are operating as scheduled.
\nThe city said critical municipal services continue, drinking water remains safe, and further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
\n\u201cThis is something that, for all municipalities, is a really big concern,\u201d Siemens said.
\nzoe.pierce@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n

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