Tag Archive for: arizona

State: Computer hack delays DES checks in Arizona | Govt-and-politics


PHOENIX — The checks are in the mail, finally.

That’s the message from the state Department of Administration this week to about 800 Arizonans who were counting on getting their child support, child care and unemployment checks by the first of the month.

The private company the state uses to print and mail correspondence, Exela Technologies, took its systems offline on June 19 after experiencing a cyberattack, said Megan Rose, the Administration Department spokeswoman.

Four state agencies were affected, including the Department of Economic Security. Not only did checks not go out, but people did not get forms they were supposed to fill out, often with deadlines such as for continuing benefits.

The company resumed its Phoenix operations and is working to clear backlogs.

The checks were printed Sunday and were sent out “first thing Tuesday” when the Postal Service reopened after the holiday, Rose said.

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She also said the state will ensure anyone who missed a deadline to send a form to DES will not be penalized and the dates for responding will be adjusted.

Also affected was the Revenue Department, whose print jobs with Exela include about 20,000 refund checks. Rose said these, too, will be mailed this week.

Anyone who did not get a timely notice from Revenue of an assessment will get additional time to respond, without penalty, she said.

Correspondence from some other agencies was affected, including the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System and the Department of Child Safety.

The computer problems with Exela were confined to that company and no state computer systems were compromised, Rose said.

Howard Fischer is a veteran journalist who has been reporting since 1970 and covering state politics and the Legislature since 1982. Follow him on Twitter at @azcapmedia or email [email protected].

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Arizona introduces mobile driver’s license & state ID


Arizona introduces mobile driver’s license & state ID | Security Magazine




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US House panel examines Arizona election review effects


They called former Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett, who served as a go-between Senate Republicans and the contractors they hired to review the ballot count, election machines and computer software, to testify. Bennett said that while the recount showed that Biden actually picked up some votes, there remain unresolved issues involving voter registration, mail-in ballots and computer security.

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Arizona opens cyber command center in Phoenix


State and federal law enforcement officials will use the center as a place to share information that can thwart hackers attempting to access private accounts.

PHOENIX — Arizona has unveiled its new headquarters for the state’s war on cyberattacks.

The Cyber Command Center, located in a non-descript, north Phoenix office building, will allow state cybersecurity experts to work alongside their federal counterparts to thwart daily threats of cyberattacks against state resources.

Under one roof

The Cyber Command Center is meant to allow increased information sharing between local, state, and federal agencies to investigate and respond to various cyberattacks.

“Unfortunately, we know that this is something our enemies want to exploit,” said Gov. Doug Ducey. “We’re the first state in the nation to put something like this together in terms of investment. It’s Homeland Security, its national security. We rely on these people and I have a lot of confidence that they can keep Arizona safe and be a model for other states.”

According to Tim Roemer, director of Arizona Department of Homeland Security, his agency fought against roughly 800,000 cyberattacks in September 2021.

“When I was briefed as a new governor by the FBI… they said we should quit calling it ‘cyberwarfare’ and ‘cybersecurity’ because this is the future of warfare and the future of security,” Ducey said.

A new kind of war

When hackers shut down Colonial Pipeline, a company that supplies roughly 45% of the east coast with fuel, it underscored how dangerous ransomware can be, and just how vulnerable computer systems can be to attacks.

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