A targeted cyberattack disrupted critical state services across Nevada for over nine days, crippling operations at the DMV, Department of Health and Human Services, Nevada State Police, and welfare offices. The outage forced DMV locations to close in-person services, halting new ID issuance, driver’s licenses, and other essential transactions. While limited online services (e.g., registration renewals, Turbo Titles) were restored, backlogs persisted, delaying appointments and leaving residents like driving school students unable to obtain licenses for 30+ days. Welfare offices reverted to paper applications, and law enforcement agencies (e.g., Nye County Sheriff) faced delays in processing CCW permits and fingerprinting. As of the report, 10 state websites and their sub-services remained offline, with no clear timeline for full recovery. The attack’s scale—disabling nearly an entire state government—marks a rare and severe incident, raising concerns about data security (e.g., personal information exposure) and prolonged operational paralysis. Officials acknowledged slow progress in restoring systems, leaving thousands of residents stranded without access to vital services.
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/nv-gto
"id": "nv-506090325",
"linkid": "nv-gto",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "9/2025",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "6",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the economy of geographical region"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Thousands (statewide)',
'industry': 'Public Administration',
'location': 'Nevada, USA',
'name': 'Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)',
'type': 'Government Agency'},
{'industry': 'Public Safety',
'location': 'Nevada, USA',
'name': 'Nevada State Police',
'type': 'Law Enforcement'},
{'industry': 'Healthcare',
'location': 'Nevada, USA',
'name': 'Nevada Department of Health and Human '
'Services',
'type': 'Government Agency'},
{'industry': 'Public Safety',
'location': 'Nye County, Nevada, USA',
'name': "Nye County Sheriff's Office",
'type': 'Law Enforcement'},
{'customers_affected': 'New clients (paper applications '
'only)',
'industry': 'Social Services',
'location': 'Nevada, USA',
'name': 'Nevada Welfare Offices',
'type': 'Government Agency'}],
'customer_advisories': ['DMV: Limited services reopened (e.g., registration '
'renewals, Turbo Titles); walk-ins honored for '
'canceled appointments of operational services',
'Welfare offices: Paper applications only for new '
'clients',
'Nye County Sheriff: CCW permits and fingerprinting '
'services resumed (backlog processing)'],
'data_breach': {'personally_identifiable_information': ['Potential risk '
'(concerns raised by '
'residents)']},
'date_detected': '2024-08-25',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2024-08-25',
'description': 'A cyberattack has caused a network outage across Nevada state '
'services since August 25, 2024, affecting agencies such as '
'the DMV, Nevada State Police, and the Department of Health '
'and Human Services. The attack disrupted in-person services, '
'digital access, and operational workflows, with partial '
'recovery underway as of September 2, 2024. This is one of the '
'first documented cases of a cyberattack crippling nearly an '
'entire U.S. state government. Ransomware is suspected, though '
'not explicitly confirmed. Services like DMV registrations, '
'welfare applications, and law enforcement permits (e.g., CCW) '
'were severely impacted, with backlogs and limited '
'functionality persisting. No timeline for full recovery has '
'been provided.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': ['Erosion of public trust in state '
'government digital infrastructure',
'Media coverage highlighting systemic '
'vulnerabilities'],
'customer_complaints': ['Reports of inconvenience from locals '
'(e.g., expired registrations, delayed '
'licenses)',
'Frustration over slow or unavailable '
'services'],
'downtime': '9+ days (as of 2024-09-03)',
'identity_theft_risk': ['Concerns raised by residents (e.g., Joe '
'Mayorga) about potential exposure of '
'personal information'],
'operational_impact': ['DMV closures for in-person services '
'(partial reopening on 2024-09-02 with '
'limited functionality)',
'Welfare office processing only paper '
'applications',
"Nye County Sheriff's office backlog for "
'CCW permits and fingerprinting',
"Delayed driver's license issuance (30+ day "
'wait for new licenses)',
'Canceled appointments for non-operational '
'services unresolved'],
'systems_affected': ['DMV systems',
'Nevada State Police systems',
'Department of Health and Human Services '
'systems',
'Welfare office digital systems',
"Nye County Sheriff's office systems (CCW "
'permits, fingerprinting)',
'10+ state service websites']},
'initial_access_broker': {'high_value_targets': ['State government networks',
'DMV systems',
'Law enforcement databases']},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (no root cause or timeline for full recovery '
'announced)',
'ransomware': {'data_encryption': ['Suspected (based on widespread system '
'outages)']},
'references': [{'date_accessed': '2024-09-03',
'source': 'KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas',
'url': 'https://www.ktnv.com'},
{'date_accessed': '2024-09-03',
'source': "Governor Lombardo's Advisory on Cyberattack "
'Resources'}],
'response': {'communication_strategy': ['Public updates via media (e.g., KTNV '
'Channel 13)',
"Governor Lombardo's announcements on "
'resources for impacted Nevadans',
'DMV advisories on available online '
'services'],
'containment_measures': ['Gradual restoration of select services '
'(e.g., DMV online portal, CCW permits)',
'Prioritization of critical systems'],
'incident_response_plan_activated': 'Yes (partial recovery '
'efforts underway)',
'recovery_measures': ['DMV reopening with limited services '
'(e.g., registration renewals, Turbo '
'Titles)',
"Nye County Sheriff's office processing "
'backlog for permits',
"Governor's office coordinating resources "
'for affected residents']},
'stakeholder_advisories': ["Governor Lombardo's updates on state resources",
'DMV advisories on service availability',
'Media briefings (e.g., KTNV interviews with '
'affected residents)'],
'title': 'Nevada Statewide Cyberattack Disrupting Government Services',
'type': ['Cyberattack', 'Network Outage', 'Suspected Ransomware']}