Cyberattack closes state government services in Nevada

By Liam Hibbert
The Center Square

Nevada state government services were still limited Wednesday morning after the discovery of a statewide cyberattack.

Emergency services remained open, but many state-run websites and offices were closed Wednesday.

The state said it “identified a network security incident” Sunday morning, but did not publicly address the issue until a Tuesday evening memo.

In it, the Office of the Governor said it and the Governor’s Technology Office were working around the clock to restore state services. Across Nevada, government employees were placed on administrative leave Monday. While many returned Tuesday, others were still not back in the office on Wednesday.

The Center Square was unable to access the Nevada executive branch’s websites early Wednesday afternoon in the aftermath of the cyberattack. Those websites included ones for the Governor’s Office, Attorney General’s Office, Department of Agriculture, Nevada Health Authority and more. Attempts to open the sites resulted in the message, “This site can’t be reached.”

The Nevada Legislature website was operational.

Limited information is available about the cyberattack, as the Governor’s Office cited a Nevada law that allows the withholding of records to “prevent or respond to acts of terrorism…” if they “create a substantial likelihood of threatening the safety of the general public.”

The memo added that the federal government is investigating the attack.

The state also found no evidence that personally identifiable information had been stolen.

The Office of the Governor and the Governor’s Technology Office did not respond Wednesday to requests for comment by The Center Square.

The Office of the Governor cautioned Nevadans to be especially wary of scams at this time. It said the state would never ask for bank details or passwords over the phone or by email. For a full, department-by-department list of impacts, read the memo here.