Bjurholms Municipality, located in Västerbotten and known as Sweden's smallest municipality in terms of population, has declared a state of emergency following a severe IT attack.

The cyber assault, which occurred overnight and was discovered early Monday morning, has resulted in a complete shutdown of the municipality's internal systems and broadband services.

According to Jimmy Johansson, the municipality's chief executive, the extent of the damage remains unclear, but the impact on internal systems and broadband connectivity is significant.

The local government is currently seeking temporary solutions to mitigate the effects on critical services, including elder care and education, as all data has been locked and encrypted.

The origin of the attack is still unknown, and efforts are underway to restore functionality to the affected systems.