Cyber Incident Victim: Colorado State Government
Date:
Oct 2022
Location:
United States of America
Summary
A cyberattack claimed by an anonymous suspected foreign actor disrupted the Colorado.gov state web portal homepage, forcing it offline. While the homepage remained inaccessible, all other state websites and essential government services continued operating normally without compromise. A temporary webpage was established to direct users to common online services via direct links. State technology officials and emergency operations teams collaborated with federal partners to restore the portal, implementing security measures to protect unaffected systems. No restoration timeline was provided, though officials confirmed no broader service interruptions occurred beyond the targeted homepage outage.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 2 motives | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On October 5, 2022, the Colorado.gov State Web Portal homepage was taken offline following a cyberattack claimed by an anonymous suspected foreign actor. Reports indicated the attack targeted multiple state government services and websites across the United States, though Colorado authorities confirmed only the Colorado.gov homepage was directly impacted. The Office of Information Technology (OIT) implemented immediate measures to isolate the affected system, ensuring all other State of Colorado websites and essential government services remained operational and accessible to the public. A temporary webpage was swiftly established to redirect users to common online state services through direct links to specific agency websites, minimizing disruption to citizens seeking resources. No compromise of online access or service functionality beyond the homepage outage was reported.
The Governor’s Office of Information Technology coordinated with the State Emergency Operations Center, state partners, and federal agencies to investigate the incident and restore the Colorado.gov homepage. Security enhancements were concurrently applied to protect unaffected state digital infrastructure, though officials did not disclose specific technical countermeasures. No estimated timeline for full restoration of the homepage was provided as of the incident report date. Public communications emphasized the localized nature of the disruption and reiterated the availability of alternate access points for critical services throughout the response period. The incident remained under active investigation with no additional operational impacts disclosed.