Breach, Data Security

State wildlife agencies halt license sales after apparent vendor breach

The fish and wildlife agencies of Washington, Oregon and Idaho have temporarily suspended the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and tags after the vendor operating their online licensing system was apparently breached.

“The department is taking the steps necessary to ensure the sales site is secure and our customers' information is protected,” said Jim Unsworth, director of Washington's Department of Fish and Wildlife, which is offering free fishing and parking access through Aug. 30, while it coordinates with the state's Office of Cyber Security.

According to the Oregonian, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has not found evidence of its information being breached, despite an unknown individual claiming credit for a hack on the agency's contact page. Nevertheless, the agency has halted license sales as a precaution, as has the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, which urged hunters and anglers to obtain licenses and tags through its local offices, which operate on a separate system.

In June, the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department was also impacted by a breach.

Bradley Barth

As director of multimedia content strategy at CyberRisk Alliance, Bradley Barth develops content for online conferences, webcasts, podcasts video/multimedia projects — often serving as moderator or host. For nearly six years, he wrote and reported for SC Media as deputy editor and, before that, senior reporter. He was previously a program executive with the tech-focused PR firm Voxus. Past journalistic experience includes stints as business editor at Executive Technology, a staff writer at New York Sportscene and a freelance journalist covering travel and entertainment. In his spare time, Bradley also writes screenplays.

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