An investigation has determined that a computer system security breach detected by Clark County’s Information Technology staff in late October was a cyberattack.

According to a press release, the nature and scope of the attack, and any possible impacts to county data, are still being investigated.

“Clark County takes the security of our network and data very seriously,” County Manager Kathleen Otto said in the release. “As soon as we discovered the suspicious activity, we took steps to confirm the security of the county network and launched an investigation.”

The security breach was detected on Oct. 21. Days later, the county council approved hiring a forensic specialist to investigate. The county also worked with cybersecurity specialists to assist with the remediation, containment and investigation of the incident, the release said.

Some parts of the county website were unavailable immediately following the cyberattack. The Property Information Center and Geographic Information Systems departments were among the hardest hit. Online maps for zoning, land use, transportation systems, development and other areas were unavailable for several days. All maps are now available online.

Other departments struggling with computer issues immediately after the attack were the prosecuting attorney’s office, jail services and Superior Court.

David Shook, director of jail services, said his department coordinated efforts with its law and justice partners to ensure the jail could process new arrests and work through court processes.

Superior Court dockets also got off to a slow start after court staff found they did not have access to the court computer system, and there were issues connecting with defendants in the jail. Attorneys had to rely on printed paper copies for criminal histories and other documents rather than using a laptop. For some cases, court staff left the courtroom to print out documents for the judge to review, slowing court proceedings considerably.

“From my understanding, there were some initial glitches with access, but we have utilized backup and work-around systems to keep the processes going with our internal and external…