Minnesota cities and counties can better prepare to respond to a cyberattack. But aiming to prevent one in the first place may be futile.

“The absolute weakest link is the person with a mouse in their hand that decides to click on things,” said state Rep. Jim Nash, R-Waconia. “And if we could outlaw that, we’d be in a better place.”

In fact, places like St. Paul, hit by a ransomware attack last month, are especially vulnerable.

“As larger, more savvy organizations batten down their hatches, we have seen a shift to smaller organizations, to cities and more vulnerable entities,” said state Rep. Kristin Bahner, DFL-Maple Grove.

Nash and Bahner spoke Wednesday during a meeting of the Minnesota Legislative Commission on Cybersecurity, which took testimony from St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter a

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