A state employee downloading software infested with malware led to the cyberattack that took down state-related websites and shuttered the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles in August, according to a report released Wednesday by the Governor’s Technology Office.

The system administration software the employee was attempting to download was on a website “posing as the legitimate” version, according to the report. The hack also used Google advertisements to promote the malware.

The initial breach was in May, though the hacker only locked systems down and set a ransom in late August.

In the month after the attack was identified, Dell Technologies, despite system backups having been deleted, recovered around 90% of the state’s data.

The state did not pay the attached ransom, which is in l

See Full Page