Nevada government offices shut down after cyber attack

By Brittany Sheehan  

Nevada News and Views

If you live in Nevada, you can’t walk into most state offices today.

Need to renew your driver’s license? Closed.

Want to register your business? Can’t do it.

Planning to get married and need a license? You’ll have to wait.

Nevada state offices temporarily suspended all in-person services Monday morning after hackers attacked the state’s computer networks. This means the counter windows at DMV offices, tax departments, and other state agencies are locked up tight while tech experts try to fix the damage.

The good news? You can still call 911 in an emergency. That system wasn’t affected. But if you need anything else from Nevada’s government, you’re out of luck for now.

State websites are running slow or not working at all. Phone lines to government offices might not answer. Officials say they’re working around the clock to get things back to normal, but they won’t say when that might happen.

What This Means for You

Let’s break down what “suspended in-person services” actually means. Think of it like your local bank closing all its branches because someone broke into their computer system. You can’t walk up to a teller, but maybe you can still use the ATM or mobile app.

Here’s what Nevada residents can’t do right now:

—Get or renew driver’s licenses or state IDs

—Register to vote or update voter information

—Apply for business licenses

—Pay certain taxes in person

—Get certified copies of birth or marriage certificates

—Handle court paperwork at some locations

The state says some services might still work online, but even those are spotty. If a website doesn’t load, they’re telling people to just try again later.

For urgent needs, your best bet is calling the specific agency and hoping someone answers. For non-emergencies, email might work better than phone calls.

Why This Attack Happened

Hackers didn’t pick Nevada by accident. Government databases are like treasure chests filled with personal information. Your social security number, address, financial details, and family information are all stored in state computers.

The numbers tell the scary story. Malware attacks increased by 148 percent, while ransomware incidents were 51 percent more prominent during the first eight months of 2023 against state and local governments. 79 percent of nation-state attackers target government agencies, non-government organizations (NGOs), and think tanks.

Foreign countries, especially China and Russia, are behind many of these attacks. Chinese cyber espionage operations surged by 150 percent overall in 2024, with attacks against financial, media, manufacturing, and industrial sectors rising up to 300 percent. They’re not just trying to steal military secrets anymore. They want the personal data of regular Americans.

Why Conservatives Should Be Worried

This isn’t just about inconvenience. It’s about the fundamental problem with big government collecting too much of our personal information.

Every time government grows, it creates more targets for criminals. More databases with your details. More systems storing sensitive information. More places where one security mistake can expose millions of citizens.

Private companies face the same cyber threats, but they have real consequences when they fail. Banks lose customers. Businesses go bankrupt. Credit card companies pay massive lawsuits. When government systems get hacked, bureaucrats just ask taxpayers to pay for better computers.

Nevada actually tried to prepare for this. They created a new Office of Information Security and Cyber Defense earlier this year. Adam Miller, who joined Nevada’s government in 2024 as cyber defense coordination administrator, led OISCD as its inaugural deputy director.

But here’s the problem. More government offices don’t always mean better security. Nevada now has multiple agencies, coordinators, and administrators all supposed to protect our data. Yet hackers still walked right in.

Earlier this year, Nevada lawmakers introduced Assembly Bill 432, which would have created a statewide security operations center. Sponsored by Republican Assemblyman Toby Yurek, the bill died in committee when the 83rd Legislative Session ended June 3, 2025.

The failed legislation would have offered school districts, local governments and other public offices access to cybersecurity services and products. It also would have created a “Cybersecurity Talent Pipeline Program” with Nevada’s universities. Even though this particular spending bill died in committee, expect similar proposals that would mean more tax money spent on a problem that keeps getting worse.

The Growing Threat

This isn’t a one-time problem. Recent cyberattack data shows that government agencies are frequent targets, with public sector entities hit more often than private companies.

The reported costs of cyber attacks vary, with Cybersecurity Ventures estimating the value at $10.5 trillion by 2025. That money comes from all of us through higher prices, insurance costs, and taxes to fix government systems that keep failing.

Think of it like this. If your neighbor kept leaving his house unlocked and burglars cleaned him out five times, would you ask him to hold your valuables? That’s what’s happening when government collects more and more personal data while failing to protect what they already have.

What You Should Do

First, protect yourself. Assume your personal information stored in Nevada’s systems might be compromised. Watch your bank accounts and credit reports closely over the next few months.

Second, demand answers from your representatives. Nevada officials won’t say what data was accessed or how the hackers got in. Citizens deserve transparency when their government fails to protect their information.

Third, push for data minimization. Ask why the state needs to store decades of personal information instead of deleting old files. Every piece of data government doesn’t collect is information that can’t be stolen.

Finally, support private alternatives where possible. Private companies that lose customer data face real consequences. Government agencies just ask for bigger budgets when they mess up.

Remember this incident when politicians promise that more digital government services will make life easier. Every convenience they offer creates new risks they can’t manage. The best defense against cyberattacks might be having less government to attack in the first place.

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Brittany Sheehan is a Las Vegas-based mother, policy advocate and grassroots leader. She is active in local politics, successful in campaign work and passionate about liberty.