Nevada
Nevada ransomware attack started months before it was discovered, per report
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.
Arbor View’s Risden Miller, right, spikes the ball against Palo Verde’s Evan Ditmar (1) during a 5A boys volleyball game at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Arbor View’s Luke Hashimoto (1) makes a save during a 5A boys volleyball game against Palo Verde at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Arbor View’s Risden Miller (10) sends the ball past Palo Verde’s Jagger Mendenhall (4) during a 5A boys volleyball game at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Arbor View celebrates after defeating Palo Verde in a 5A boys volleyball game at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Palo Verde’s Ben Fife, left, gets the ball around Arbor View defenders during a 5A boys volleyball game at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Palo Verde’s Evan Ditmar (1) tries to save the ball during a 5A boys volleyball game at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Palo Verde’s Andrew Gutierrez (7) attacks during a 5A boys volleyball game at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Arbor View’s Graham Blanchard, right, attacks during a 5A boys volleyball game against Palo Verde at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Arbor View’s Luke Hashimoto serves the ball to Palo Verde during a 5A boys volleyball game at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Palo Verde’s Eli Hernandez (6) hits the ball during a 5A boys volleyball game at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Arbor View’s Gunnar Robinson (7) gets to the ball during a 5A boys volleyball game against Palo Verde at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Arbor View’s Kenyon Wickliffe, right, attacks the ball during a 5A boys volleyball game against Palo Verde at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Palo Verde’s Jagger Mendenhall (4) sets the ball during a 5A boys volleyball game at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Palo Verde’s Evan Ditmar (1) looks to attack during a 5A boys volleyball game at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Arbor View’s Kenyon Wickliffe (17) looks to block Palo Verde’s Andrew Gutierrez (7) during a 5A boys volleyball game at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Arbor View’s Risden Miller reacts after a play against Palo Verde during a 5A boys volleyball game at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Arbor View’s Risden Miller, right, and Arbor View’s Kenyon Wickliffe, partially obscured, defend against an attack from Palo Verde during a 5A boys volleyball game at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Palo Verde’s Ben Fife (2) hits the ball during a 5A boys volleyball game at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Palo Verde’s Andrew Gutierrez, left, goes for a backward attack during a 5A boys volleyball game at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
An attack from Palo Verde’s Ben Fife (2) gets past Arbor View defenders during a 5A boys volleyball game at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Palo Verde players huddle during a 5A boys volleyball game at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Arbor View’s Graham Blanchard, center right, looks to attack the ball during a 5A boys volleyball game against Palo Verde at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Palo Verde’s Eli Hernandez (6) hits the ball during a 5A boys volleyball game at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Arbor View’s Keagan Sugden (9) sets the ball during a 5A boys volleyball game against Palo Verde at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Palo Verde’s Evan Ditmar (1) looks to attack during a 5A boys volleyball game at Arbor View High School on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
This Nevada city came close to the top 10 for retirees
One Nevada city nearly cracked the top 10 for retirement nationwide. Here’s what to know.
People looking to retire may think of Florida as their first choice to spend their golden years, but it’s not just the Sunshine State in WalletHub’s ranking of the best retirement towns in the United States. Cities in Minnesota, Georgia, Wyoming and Ohio also earned top spots on the list.
It may surprise people that one Nevada city nearly made WalletHub’s top 10. Las Vegas led the state in the ranking, while Reno landed further down the list.
WalletHub used data from federal agencies and national organizations, sorting it into categories of affordability, activities, quality of life and health care to determine its ranking.
Here’s a look at which Nevada city is the best in the state to retire to, why it ranked where it did and the other cities in Nevada and nationally that made the list.
What is Nevada’s best retirement town?
Las Vegas was named the best retirement town in Nevada, earning the No. 11 spot nationally.
What are the pros of retiring in Nevada?
Las Vegas ranked high in WalletHub’s categories for activities (No. 6 nationally) and affordability (No. 13).
The activities category is driven by access to recreation and senior centers per capita, along with fishing facilities, golf courses, museums, theaters, art galleries, music venues and bingo halls. It also factors in volunteer opportunities and overall recreation friendliness.
Affordability is largely based on adjusted cost of living compared to other cities. It also factors in tax friendliness, retiree tax burdens and the cost of adult day health care.
What is the downside of living in Nevada?
Meanwhile, Las Vegas ranked low in quality of life (No. 106) and health care (No. 165).
Quality of life was determined mostly by mild weather. To a lesser degree, the category is also created using data that shows how walkable the city is, transit access and the amount of people older than 65 in the city that are living in poverty, to name a few.
The health care category looks at death rates, suicide rates, life expectancy and substance abuse among seniors, along with the number of health care facilities and access to specialized care.
What is the #1 best place to retire?
Here are the cities that made WalletHub’s top 10 best cities to retire, Las Vegas barely missing the top 10 list.
- Orlando, Florida
- Scottsdale, Arizona
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Miami, Florida
- Tampa, Florida
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Casper, Wyoming
Here are the Nevada cities that made the list, including their national ranking.
- Las Vegas (No. 11 nationally)
- Henderson (No. 59)
- Reno (No. 57)
- North Las Vegas (No. 76)
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The third annual Paiute Spring Fest was held Saturday in Summerlin, spotlighting those indigenous to Southern Nevada.
The event featured music, dancing and arts and crafts. Organizers said it also serves as a way to talk with the community about conservation and educate them about the intertribal connection the Las Vegas Valley is part of.
MORE ON FOX5: Filipino Town Las Vegas celebrates first anniversary as official cultural district
“It’s really important to, especially for the Paiute Spring Fest, like, this is a time of renewal. This is a time to rejoice, to celebrate, and let people know that we’re still here,” Douglas said. “You know, people think that our native cultures are something of the past, but we’re a big, thriving community.”
Douglas said the vending events they put on will soon be opening up in a brick and mortar store in the art district this summer.
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