Nevada under attack: State gives update on fight against hackers

The attack that shut down Nevada

By Brittany Sheehan  

Nevada News and Views

Last Sunday morning, Nevada woke up to a nightmare. Hackers launched what officials called a “sophisticated ransomware-based cybersecurity attack” that brought state government to its knees. By Monday, nearly every state office across Nevada had to close its doors.

The Department of Motor Vehicles shut down. Social services offices that help families get food stamps and Medicaid went dark. Even basic things like phones and email stopped working in government buildings from Las Vegas to Carson City.

“On early Sunday morning, the State of Nevada identified a network security incident and immediately engaged in 24/7 recovery efforts,” said a memo from Governor Joe Lombardo’s office.

The State is working 24/7 to restore all online services safely. pic.twitter.com/CkoD4qWTlb

— Governor Joe Lombardo (@JosephMLombardo) August 27, 2025

Hackers Stole State Data

The news got worse on Wednesday. At a press conference in Carson City, state technology chief Timothy Galluzi delivered the blow Nevadans feared most.

“I need to be very clear on this next point: at this stage of our intensive investigation, we cannot yet identify or classify the specific nature of this data,” Galluzi said.

But he confirmed that “some data has been exfiltrated, or moved outside of” Nevada’s computer networks.

What exactly did the criminals steal? Officials won’t say yet. Galluzi explained”: “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.”

The state had originally said there was no evidence personal information was compromised. That changed Tuesday night when investigators found proof that data had been stolen.

Governor’s Team Fights Back

Governor Lombardo couldn’t attend Wednesday’s press conference, but his chief of staff Ryan Cherry spoke for him, saying: “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.”

Cherry praised the state workers fighting to restore services. Cherry said:

“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 that the governor’s office made sure to prioritize what matters most:

“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.”

Federal Help Arrives

Nevada didn’t face this attack alone. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and its public and private sector partners are working closely with officials in Nevada to fight back against the criminals. CISA Acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala said:

“As America’s premier cyber defense agency, CISA is actively engaged with our partners to support the state of Nevada as it responds to and recovers from this incident. CISA is fully committed to providing cybersecurity services and expertise to the state of Nevada as long as necessary.”

The FBI is also helping investigate who did this and how they got in. If you have tips about the attack, you can call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

What’s Working and What’s Not

Despite the chaos, some critical services kept running. State employee paychecks went out on time. 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.

School funding also continued. 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.

The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles slowly came back online. Some services like online driver’s license testing and the DMV website returned. 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.

For families needing help with food stamps and Medicaid, the Department of Human Services said while Access Nevada is down, (which gives Nevadans access to Medicaid, SNAP, TANF and other benefits), information on where to find in-person locations to apply for these can also be found on their website.

Getting Back to Normal

State offices are slowly reopening for in-person services. Lombardo’s office said:

“The State is focused on restoring services safely and validating systems before returning them to normal operation.”

 Officials were unable to provide an estimated timeline for the restoration of full state services.

The governor’s office promised to keep Nevadans informed. Chief of Staff Cherry said: “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.”

Stay Safe

While the state fights to restore services, officials warned Nevadans to be extra careful. The governor’s office warned Nevadans to be cautious of unsolicited calls, emails, or texts requesting personal information or any financial payments.

Don’t trust anyone asking for personal information or money who claims to be helping with the cyber attack. The real state government won’t ask for payments or personal details through random calls or emails.

The Fight Continues

Nevada’s cyber attack shows how vulnerable all of us are to these digital criminals. But it also shows how quickly our state and federal agencies can work together when Americans are under attack.

“What I can promise you is this: our investigation is our No. 1 priority,” technology chief Galluzi said.

The investigation continues. Services are slowly coming back online. And Nevada is fighting back against the criminals who thought they could shut down our state.

*

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.