Nevada

Nevada ransomware attack started months before it was discovered, per report

Published

8 months ago

November 6, 2025

LAS VEGAS — State workers were put on paid administrative leave. Nevada residents couldn’t receive their driver’s licenses. Employers were unable to conduct background checks on new hires. These were all effects of a massive cyberattack in Nevada that took nearly a month to fully restore its services.

The ransomware attack – though discovered in August – occurred as early as May when a state employee mistakenly downloaded malicious software, and cost at least $1.5 million to recover, according to an after-action report the state released Wednesday.

“Nevada’s teams protected core services, paid our employees on time, and recovered quickly — without paying criminals,” Gov. Joe Lombardo said Wednesday in a statement announcing the report. “This is what disciplined planning, talented public servants, and strong partnerships deliver for Nevadans.”

The attack came on the heels of a long series of cybercrimes against states and municipalities in recent years.

In 2024, Georgia’s largest county was hit with a cyberattack where hackers shut down office phone lines and threatened to publicly release sensitive data they claimed to have stolen unless officials paid ransom. The ransomware syndicate LockBit took credit for the cyberattack in late January that temporarily crippled government services in Fulton County.

Cybercriminals hacked Rhode Island’s system for health and benefits programs and released files to a site on the dark web in 2024.

The Colorado Department of Transportation’s computer network was targeted in a ransomware attack in 2018 by two Iranian computer hackers, though no money was paid and no information was lost.

When Baltimore was hit in 2019 with a ransomware attack that crippled the city’s services for a month, it was estimated to cost at least $18.2 million. A year before, a ransomware attack slammed Baltimore’s 911 dispatch system.

Nevada officials maintain the state did not pay the ransom, the amount of which was not disclosed. The attacker has yet to be identified, and the incident is still under investigation.

The attack against Nevada was a “fairly large ransomware against a state,” according to Gregory Moody, director of cybersecurity programs at UNLV. This attack was able to spread through the state more quickly because of the decentralized nature of Nevada’s cyber systems, he said.

Nevada’s response time was good compared to others, he said. It typically takes between seven and eight months to discover an attacker in a system, and Nevada officials caught it faster than is usual, Moody said.

The attack cost 4,212 in overtime hours – or about $211,000 in direct overtime wages – and $1.3 million for help from contractors, according to the report. The $1.3 million was paid for by the state’s cyber insurance, according to the governor’s office.

The cost could have been much higher, Moody said. When a data breach targeted the Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts in 2023, it was expected to cost the casino giant more than $100 million.

“I think they got lucky,” said Cameron Call, chief technology officer at the Las Vegas-based cybersecurity company Blue Paladin. “It sounds low compared to some; I don’t know that it’s taking into account the economic cost for the state being down for as long as it was.”

On May 14, a state employee accidentally downloaded a malware-laced system administration tool that was made to mimic a tool frequently accessed by IT personnel, according to the after-action report. That installed a hidden backdoor to give the attacker access, investigators with the cybersecurity firm Mandiant found.

By August, the attacker established encrypted tunnels and used a remote desktop protocol to move across the state’s system, gaining access to the state’s password vault server.

The attacker created a zip file containing sensitive data, including personal information of one former state employee, who was notified, according to the report. Investigators have not found that data was successfully extracted or published on a site.

The report includes steps the state is taking and recommendations to better protect the state in the future, such as creating a centrally-managed security operations center and deploying endpoint detection and response, a platform to improve threat detection.

Cybersecurity experts, however, say those are standard protocols that the state should have been doing for years.

“The recommendations that they put forward are definitely solid, but, you know, they’ve been best practice for quite a while,” Call said.

Source link

Related Topics:AP A-Wire crime Featured Wires bot

Click to comment

Nevada

Nevada secures $30 million from generic drugmaker in nationwide antitrust case

Published

1 hour ago

July 17, 2026

Press Room

Nevada secures million from generic drugmaker in nationwide antitrust case

Attorney General Aaron Ford announced Wednesday afternoon that his office has reached a nearly $30 million settlement with drug manufacturer Glenmark.

The settlement is part of a multi-state antitrust case against the generic drug manufacturer. 48 U.S. states and territories allege Glenmark engaged in a conspiracy to artificially inflate prices and reduce competition on the sale of more than 100 medications.

That includes drugs used to treat asthma, cancer and diabetes, among other conditions.

Nevada will distribute $41,000 to impacted agencies and over $13 million to a consumer restitution fund.

Individual Nevadans who bought one of Glenmark’s products between May 2009 and December 2019 may also be eligible for monetary compensation. Members of the public can find more information about eligibility at aggenericdrugs.com.

Source link

Nevada

Nevada Attorney Gen. Aaron Ford responds to what he calls President Trump’s ‘misleading speech on elections’

Published

13 hours ago

July 17, 2026

Press Room

Nevada Attorney Gen. Aaron Ford responds to what he calls President Trump’s ‘misleading speech on elections’

CARSON CITY, Nev. (KOLO) – On Thursday, July 16, Nevada Attorney Gen. Aaron Ford responded to President Trump’s “misleading speech on elections.”

“You just watched President Trump attempt to revive conspiracy theories about the 2020 election that have repeatedly been debunked and dismissed by the legal system, independent analyses and state elections officials across the country,” Ford said. “My office fought against these lies from day one, and we successfully defended Nevada’s elections from this ridiculous misinformation.”

Ford said that Trump is trying to bring this topic back to life.

“He does not care that Americans are tired,” Ford said. “He does not care that Nevadans are more concerned with the economic impacts of his illegal tariffs and his disastrous foreign policy. He does not care that Nevadans are worried about his unchecked and dangerous immigration enforcement strategies. He does not care that Nevadans are upset about his attempts to abuse taxpayer dollars to create a personal slush fund through the IRS.”

Ford said Trump is trying to lay the groundwork to make a case to allow federal interference in Nevada’s elections.

“Trump has attempted to illegally interfere with the rights of states to conduct their elections, a right, to be clear, that is enshrined in the Constitution,“ Ford said. ”It is the sovereign right of Nevada and all other states to run their elections. Full stop.”

Ford said his office has always acted swiftly to investigate any allegations of voter fraud.

“Our elections have systems in place to ensure that only eligible people vote and attempts to vote fraudulently can be detected and prosecuted,” Ford said. “Since my time as attorney general, the system has worked, and we’ve prosecuted cases of voter fraud.”

Contrary to the lies that Trump continues to peddle, Ford said, the only threat to our elections is his inability to accept his loss.

“He’s still shopping around for someone, anyone, to tell him he won,” Ford said. “His inability to accept the results of past elections and his fragile ego are driving his desire to seize control of future elections. Our country deserves better.”

Ford said Nevadans are not going to stand idly by while Trump attempts to sow doubt, lies, and confusion about the midterm election. He added that the Secretary of State’s office does an impeccable job at administering Nevada’s elections.

“I will continue to use all of my office’s power to stand up against President Trump’s attempts to illegally expand federal power and interfere with states’ rights,” Ford said. “Nevada’s elections are safe and secure.”

Source link

Nevada

Rural Nevada ice cream shop named best in the state by Yelp

Published

1 day ago

July 16, 2026

Press Room

Rural Nevada ice cream shop named best in the state by Yelp

When foodies think of the best ice cream in Nevada, their minds might immediately go to the world-class eateries in Las Vegas or the independent dessert shops in Reno. As it turns out (or at least according to Yelp) the best ice cream isn’t in either of Nevada’s most urban areas.

Last year, Yelp released its list of 100 best U.S. ice cream shops ahead of National Ice Cream Day on July 20, naming one rural spot as the best place to get a frozen treat in the entire state.

Luckily for Renoites, the best ice cream spot in Nevada isn’t far away. Here’s a look at the only Silver State location that made the list.

What is the best ice cream shop in Nevada?

Steve’s Homemade Ice Cream in Fernley was the only Nevada location to make Yelp’s best ice cream spots list. Steve’s is at 1360 US Hwy. 95A N., Suite 5, or just off the second highway exit going into Fernley from Reno, in the outdoor mall across the street from the Starbucks.

Yelp reviewers appreciated Steve’s variety of homemade ice cream flavors, the shop’s cleanliness and aesthetic appeal, and the owner’s friendliness.

How did Yelp make its Top 100 Best Ice Cream Shops list?

Yelp used the reviews of businesses in the ice cream category, then used factors such as the total volume of ratings and reviews to create its “all-time list of the Top 100 Ice Cream Spots in the U.S..”