The Minnesota National Guard’s Cyber Protection Unit is working to help St. Paul respond to a cyberattack that began last week. This is the first time the eight-year-old unit has deployed to an attack on Minnesota computer systems.

Sometimes, though, the hacks hit harder than usual. That was the case in St. Paul, Minnesota, which suffered a significant cyberattack last Friday that it has been unable to mitigate. Things have gotten so bad that the city has declared a state of emergency, while the governor activated the National Guard to assist.

While these types of attacks occur frequently across the country and the state, it's the first time the National Guard's cybersecurity unit has been called upon to help restore critical services.