UPDATE: On Wednesday afternoon, a press conference was held by Governor Joe Lombardo’s office regarding the ongoing cybersecurity attack that began over this weekend, which led to an almost statewide shut down of services and offices, which is still ongoing. 

However, Gov. Lombardo did not attend the meeting; instead, a representative from his office said that Lombardo is being consistently updated and is aware of the ongoing operations. 

During the conference, it was revealed that hackers had gained access to and stolen private data from the state servers, but staff declined to say exactly what type of data had been extracted, and whether or not personal information of citizens had been taken. 

A number of services are functioning at this time, which are listed at the bottom of this story. 

Several department heads or representatives provided updates during the conference, which, ironically, had consistent issues with their stream and connectivity. 

According to Chief Information Officer Timothy Galluzi, it was confirmed that the state had been hit with a cyberattack in which hackers were able to gain entry into the state’s systems. 

“The first and most critical step was to contain the threat,” Galluzi said. “And to that end, we have taken deliberate and targeted actions, which have included isolating and taking certain systems offline. This was done to prevent any further spread of the intrusion and to protect the foundational integrity of our state’s digital infrastructure.”

He said they are not “fighting this fight alone,” and that there are multiple state and federal partners who have joined in to address the attack. 

“This is a whole-of-government response,” he said. 

To the public, he said that the state “understands and deeply regrets the frustration and concern this causes,” and that they know how much the public relies on state systems to access services every day. 

However, he said that in a commitment to transparency, they must disclose that data had been taken by the hackers. 

“I need to be very clear on the next point: at this stage of our intensive investigation, we cannot yet identify or classify the specific nature of this data. The process of analyzing the information to determine exactly what was taken is complex, methodical, and time-consuming. Speculation on the data that was affected before we have any definitive proof would be irresponsible. What I can promise you is this: our investigation is our number one priority.”

To determine exactly what the nature of the data was, he said the state has “leading third-party forensic specialists” working with state and federal partners to discover what was taken. 

“Should we determine that any sensitive personal information of our citizens was compromised, we are prepared to follow the appropriate steps. This is a challenging and fluid situation. Our focus is on secure and methodical restoration, a thorough investigation, and transparent communication with the public.” 

A representative from the FBI, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nathaniel Holland from the Las Vegas division, said the FBI routinely offers assistance to local law enforcement officers to provide additional manpower or specialized resources. 

“The FBI would not stand idly by and allow criminals to launch intrusive cyber attacks on our state offices,” Holland said. “We are committed to working with our public and private sector partners to stop computer intrusions and prevent further harm. While our standard practice is to decline comment on information we share with our partners, the FBI continuously collects intelligence about potential threats and shares information with our law enforcement partners to assist in protecting the communities we all serve.” 

He said that if anyone has tips related to the cyberattack, to please call 1-800-CALL-FBI or contact the FBI at tips.fbi.gov

Ryan Cherry, Gov. Lombardo’s Chief of Staff, thanked all state agencies working through the incident. 

“Nevadans should be able to rest a little easier knowing that the hard-working public service and the governor’s technology office, all the executive branch agencies, constitutional offices, and our federal partners are working tirelessly to get us through this unfortunate event,” Cherry said. “The governor has given us direction to prioritize some of the restoration efforts. We’ve been working with the governor’s technology office and agencies to move forward in those efforts, and I want to make clear we’ve been successful in some things that are important both for state employees and for Nevada constituents of the state.”

“As soon as [more information] is available, this effort, this Governor’s administration, prioritizes transparency, and we will be providing information when we can on that effort.” 

As to why Gov. Lombardo did not attend, Cherry did not give an exact reason, but stated that Lombardo is aware of the situation and understands how serious it is. 

“The Governor is aware of all information, and we are regularly updating him, but this is an issue where we were bringing people together who [were] not available to participate in person on this, so you have me as a representative of his office and all of his agency directors,” Cherry said. 

He later added that Lombardo’s absence should not be a reflection of his commitment to resolving the issue. 

“This is a priority for Governor Lombardo. We have been working tirelessly, keeping him apprised of the situation as it is there, and I don’t want his absence at all to reflect on the importance of addressing the situation and his engagement in that.” 

Functioning Offices and Programs 

Payroll & Funding

Cherry said that payroll for state employees was manually processed for the pay period consisting of the dates August 4 through 17, and direct payments are starting to hit accounts for employees signed up to receive direct deposit. Those who receive paper checks are ready to be picked up if they haven’t already by the agency’s pay clerks. 

He also said that the Dept. of Education was able to manually process education funding through the pupil-centered funding plan, the allocation of which is due by September 2, 2025. Payments to school districts, charter schools, counties, and cities were submitted for approval on Wednesday. 

Nevada Health Authority 

The Director of the Nevada Health Authority stated operations are up and running though limited. This includes Medicaid, PEBP, and the state health insurance exchange (Nevada Health Link) as well as health care regulatory units that oversee health facilities, medical labs, and additional services. 

However, websites, state systems, and phone lines are down at the Medicaid and PEBP offices, according to Director Stacey Weeks. 

PEBP members who need assistance with their benefits during this time can email state staff to receive assistance through the PEBP portal. If the portal cannot be accessed, you can email staff at memberservices@pebp.nv.gov.

The WIC program is not disrupted, nor is the TANF program; individuals are able to submit paper applications at this time, which will be submitted by staff once systems are functional again. However, this does mean that determinations of eligibility will not be able to go through until systems are functional again. 

DMV

The Nevada DMV is down, but certain services are available. This includes driver’s license permit testing online, rapid registration and turbo titling for private party sales and out-of-state transfers, the online complaint system which connects to the compliance enforcement division, contact centers that utilize chats to answer questions, and the website itself is back online. 

The website is currently listing what is available and will be updated regularly. 

The DMV is also posting updates as they become available on social media sites. 

Driving tests that have been scheduled are still continuing. Late fees or penalties that occur as a result of the closure will be waived, and any expiration dates that fall within the closure are being programmed to be waived. Any in-person service appointments that had to be canceled will be honored for a period of at least two weeks as a walk-in accommodation. 

DETR

The NUI system is fully operational. Claims are being processed, and clients and claimants are being paid. The call center is operational, and any claimants who want to check their claim are asked to do so through the CSS portal in the NUI system. 

Employment offices are open and “serving Nevadans looking for jobs,” according to Director Chris Sewell. The rehabilitation division that connects individuals with disabilities with employment is also open and available for both walk-ins and clients that have appointments already. 

The Nevada Equal Rights Commission is online. 

Office of Emergency Management 

Cherry said that while the Office of Emergency Management website is not currently online, it is anticipated to be back up by Wednesday evening, which will have updates regarding the incident going forward. 

This is a developing story, and we’ll update as we receive more information. 

Original:

The Governor’s Office is hosting a press conference regarding the cyberattack that occurred over the weekend and is still ongoing at this time.

It has been confirmed that personal information has been taken by the hackers, but what information exactly is not yet confirmed.

Watch here:

First portion:

Second portion:

Kelsey is a fourth-generation Nevadan, investigative journalist and college professor working in the Sierras. She is an advocate of high desert agriculture, rescue dogs, and analog education.