The Nevada Department of Public Safety (DPS) experienced a statewide network disruption due to a cyber incident, severely impacting critical public safety operations. The Brady Firearms Unit background check system a vital service for processing firearm purchases was rendered inoperable, forcing temporary shutdowns and delays. While the system was restored after intensive 24/7 efforts by the Governor’s Technology Office (GTO) and DPS, the outage disrupted licensed dealers' electronic submissions (FFL Portal), phone support, and processing timelines. Despite extended staff hours, backlogs persisted, risking non-compliance with the three-business-day statutory deadline for background checks. The incident underscored vulnerabilities in government infrastructure, with cascading effects on law enforcement, public trust, and regulatory compliance. The staged recovery prioritized security, but the attack exposed gaps in safeguarding essential state services, potentially enabling further exploitation or reputational damage to Nevada’s public safety framework.
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/public-safety-nevada-department-of
"id": "pub2802528091625",
"linkid": "public-safety-nevada-department-of",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "9/2025",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "6",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the economy of geographical region"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': ['Licensed firearms dealers '
'(FFLs)',
'General public requiring '
'background checks'],
'industry': 'Public Administration',
'location': 'Nevada, USA',
'name': 'Governor’s Technology Office (GTO), Nevada',
'type': 'Government Agency'},
{'customers_affected': ['Licensed firearms dealers '
'(FFLs)',
'General public requiring '
'background checks'],
'industry': 'Public Safety',
'location': 'Nevada, USA',
'name': 'Nevada Department of Public Safety (DPS), '
'State Police Division',
'type': 'Law Enforcement Agency'},
{'customers_affected': ['Licensed firearms dealers '
'(FFLs)',
'General public requiring '
'background checks'],
'industry': 'Public Safety',
'location': 'Nevada, USA',
'name': 'Brady Firearms Unit',
'type': 'Government Unit'}],
'customer_advisories': ['Expected delays for non-portal users',
'Pending review status for some transactions',
'Extended processing times within statutory '
'three-business-day timeline'],
'date_resolved': '2023-11-19T08:00:00-08:00',
'description': 'The Governor’s Technology Office (GTO) and the Nevada '
'Department of Public Safety (DPS), State Police Division, '
'announced the Brady Firearms Unit background check system was '
'disrupted due to a statewide cyber incident. The system was '
'restored as of 8 a.m. Sunday, with efforts ongoing to '
'stabilize services. Licensed dealers (FFLs) were advised to '
'use the electronic FFL Portal for submissions to reduce call '
'volume. Phone support was also restored, though delays were '
'expected due to high demand. Brady staff worked extended '
'hours to meet statutory timelines for background checks, '
"though some transactions remained in 'pending review' longer "
'than usual. The State prioritized security during staged '
'service restoration.',
'impact': {'downtime': 'Several days (exact duration unspecified, resolved by '
'2023-11-19 08:00 PST)',
'operational_impact': ['Delayed background check processing',
'Increased call volume for phone support',
'Pending review backlog for transactions',
'Extended staff hours required for '
'recovery'],
'systems_affected': ['Brady Firearms Unit background check system',
'Statewide network services',
'FFL Portal',
'Phone support lines']},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (staged restoration in progress as of '
'2023-11-19)',
'references': [{'source': 'Nevada Office of Emergency Management',
'url': 'https://oem.nv.gov/recovery'}],
'response': {'communication_strategy': ['Public announcement by Governor Joe '
'Lombardo',
'Dedicated recovery page '
'(oem.nv.gov/recovery)',
'Advisories for FFLs to use '
'electronic portal'],
'containment_measures': ['Staged restoration of services',
'Prioritization of security during '
'recovery'],
'incident_response_plan_activated': True,
'recovery_measures': ['Restoration of FFL Portal by 2023-11-19 '
'08:00 PST',
'Restoration of phone support lines',
'Public updates via oem.nv.gov/recovery'],
'remediation_measures': ['Extended staff hours for processing '
'backlog',
'Use of FFL Portal to reduce call '
'volume']},
'stakeholder_advisories': ['Governor Joe Lombardo’s public statement',
'Advisory for FFLs to use FFL Portal for '
'submissions'],
'title': 'Nevada Statewide Network Disruption Affecting Brady Firearms Unit '
'Background Check System',
'type': ['Network Disruption', 'Cyber Incident']}