Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo said 90% of statewide websites are functional again following the cyberattack targeting the state government last month during a press conference on Friday morning.
The governor said DMV is back online, and that banking activity and residents’ personal information have not been compromised.
“If investigators eventually discover otherwise, we will follow Nevada strict statutes about personal data breaches by notifying any affected individuals promptly and providing resources to help protect them,” Lombardo said.
Despite the governor’s office answering several questions from KUNR that Access Nevada was fully functional, the portal, where people can modify benefits such as Medicaid, WIC, and SNAP, is still offline as a cybersecurity measure. The Division of Social Services confirmed this via email to KUNR after the press conference on Friday afternoon.
But residents can make changes and apply in person at 22 Nevada offices, over the phone, or by email. Deputy Administrator Kelly Cantrelle said it’s concerning and that the online option is helpful for people who only have a few minutes to sit down and apply.
“It’s good for individuals who maybe don’t want to speak to someone face-to-face, and they’re comfortable using an online entry point,” Cantrelle said. “We have seen an increase in physical traffic into our offices, but it’s certainly something we want to get up and running as quickly as possible.”
The state’s firearm background check system is also still down, so gun sales cannot be processed legally in a majority of cases, Lombardo said.
“There’s another point of contention with both our customers and our gun dealers, but it is a public safety priority. It is a very key element in what we do in state government, and ensure that bad actors do not receive a firearm inappropriately,” Lombardo said.
In response to the ransomware attack, Democratic Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager proposed creating a legislative cybersecurity working group.
Lombardo reiterated that he’s unable to share the technical elements of the cyber attack, the attacker’s identity, or details from the federal investigation. Still, he said the goal was monetary gain.
State updates on resources and information about the cyberattack can be found here.
