Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians

Profile narrative

The Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, also known as the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, is a federally recognized tribal government headquartered in the United States of America. It provides a range of governmental services to its members while also operating enterprises that include healthcare facilities, pharmacies, gas stations, casinos, and hotels. These operations support both the community’s welfare and the tribe’s economic base. The tribe’s headquarters location situates it within the broader United States, allowing it to interact with federal and state agencies as a sovereign entity.

In February 2025 the tribe experienced a cyberattack that disrupted its government operations, healthcare services, pharmacies, gas stations, casinos, hotels, and phone lines. The attack also led to the cancellation of scheduled events. Upon discovering the breach, the tribe engaged the FBI for investigation and, after consultation with cybersecurity experts, legal counsel, and law enforcement, decided not to pay the ransom demanded by the attackers. The tribe’s chairman publicly apologized for the disruption and announced plans to strengthen IT systems and expand cybersecurity training for employees. While most services were eventually restored, the healthcare division remained affected. The tribe launched a forensic audit involving the manual review of hundreds of thousands of documents to determine what personal information may have been compromised.

Incidents

1 incident linked to this organisation.