Nevada State Agencies Recovering from Cyberattack, DMV Now Fully Operational
CARSON CITY, NV - August 28, 2023 – Nevada state agencies are working to fully restore operations following a widespread cyberattack that began last week, with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) now reporting it is indeed “100% fully operational.”
The Nevada State Police reported Thursday morning that administrative offices and online services had been unavailable due to the network issue affecting multiple state agencies. However, phone lines for the Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) and dispatch remained operational throughout the outage, and troopers and officers continued to provide public safety services.
the DMV announced that canceled appointments will be honored as walk-ins for two weeks once systems are restored, and any late fees incurred during the outage will be waived. In a Facebook update, the DMV acknowledged resident concerns, stating, ”We hear you, and we are here for you during this statewide outage… We are actively coordinating with law enforcement agencies to ensure they are aware of the situation and can provide appropriate consideration during this period.”
Other state agencies have been adjusting operations. The Nevada Department of Education stated its Carson City and Las Vegas offices remain open to assist with educator licenses. The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office reported it could not access information about child support cases until the state’s NVKIDS system is restored. The Nevada Supreme Court experienced intermittent system functionality affecting email, phone systems, eFlex, and the public case portal, encouraging users to continue attempting electronic filings.The Governor’s Office confirmed the state prioritized restoring critical services and implemented temporary routing and operational workarounds. All systems are being validated before returning to normal operation. While no timeline for full restoration has been given, in-person services are expected to resume later this week.
Cybersecurity expert Chuck Flagg, President of Orion Technologies, Inc. in Reno, suggested improved isolation tools could help prevent similar incidents. “If a threat actor does hit a specific computer, there are tools that will isolate that one computer that will not allow it to expand out,” Flagg said. He emphasized the importance of software updates, stating, “If your servers and your computers are not updated, that is a huge risk that you’re putting yourself at. Putting all this stuff into place will dramatically reduce your risk going forward with cybersecurity.”
The FBI is continuing its investigation, and officials are prioritizing minimizing interference with the process. “The FBI wants to capture all of that data without having a bunch of users coming in and re-infecting or creating a problem for them,” Flagg explained.
Despite the disruption, the Governor’s Office confirmed that all state employees will be paid on time. Many employees returned to the office on Tuesday, with others returning as systems come back online.