LAS VEGAS (KLAS) The State of Nevada was targeted in a cyberattack that resulted in the closure of many state agencies, causing them to deactivate their websites and phone lines, the governor’s office confirmed Tuesday evening.

Early Sunday morning, the state identified a network security incident and immediately engaged in 24/7 recovery efforts. The cyberattack targeting the state prompted a state and federal investigation, a news release from the Office of the Governor said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, there is no evidence that any personally identifiable information was compromised, according to the governor’s office.

A spokesperson for Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo acknowledged, in a statement late Tuesday afternoon, that the criminal investigation into the ongoing technological meltdown that began Sunday night prevents her from providing “technical details at this point.” 

The spokesperson, Elizabeth Ray, would not directly address whether the state’s systems were hacked or whether the state was being asked to pay a ransom to restore its online capabilities, hallmarks of the type of brazen cyberterrorism that more and more frequently brings large corporations and institutions to their virtual knees.

Recovery efforts have impacted certain state technology systems on the state network, causing some state websites or phone lines may be slow or briefly unavailable.

Late Tuesday afternoon on the social media platform X, the Nevada DMV posted, “At this time, all DMV offices are to remain closed until further notice.”

Other major state departments’ websites and mainframes are down, and many state agencies closed both Monday and Tuesday. Those include the departments of public safety, health and human services, and corrections. Other websites, such as the state pharmacy and funeral boards, are also down. Other websites, though, such as the state bar’s, are operational.

State offices are expected to begin to offer in-person services later in the week, and individual agencies will announce when counters reopen and any alternative options. Emergency call-taking and essential services will remain available statewide.

As for state employees, the cyberattack did not impact state payroll, and all state employees will be paid on time through the normal process, the governor’s office said. Though state employees were placed on paid administrative leave on Monday, many employees returned to the office on Tuesday and will continue to return to the office as systems come back online.

Gregory Moody, director of cybersecurity programs for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said state departments often want to keep their proprietary information private, even from other departments.

“There are state actors who are always going to be looking for the trove of data that states, counties have,” Moody said. “They have information about, you know, all the citizens, they have their social security numbers, they have tax information, they have accounts, they have resources. And it spreads across a whole bunch of different domains, departments that are supposed to be linked together and work well. But in reality, they function very separately and very disparately.”  

Ray told affiliate KLAS she would make more information available and that the governor would sit for an interview about this ‘network security incident’ once they can do so.

A representative for the FBI confirmed Monday that the bureau was assisting in the investigation.

The governor’s office said the state is focused on restoring services safely and validating systems before returning them to normal operation.