The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reports that their website (dhss.alaska.gov) was the target of a malware attack. The department is investigating the incident in cooperation with authorities and is taking actions to prevent further disruption and harm to its servers, systems and databases.
DHSS Commissioner Adam Crum, “I am grateful to our Information Technology staff for the long hours they have already put in to work through this cyberattack and for everyone at DHSS who is making sure our programs and services have not been halted. Unfortunately, this type of malicious attack is part of the cost of conducting any kind of business online as there are constant threats from people worldwide trying to infiltrate IT systems. I want to assure Alaskans that our department is doing everything possible to get our website back up and running safely and to understand the scope of the attack, its impacts, and how to prevent this from happening in the future.”
The DHSS website was taken offline on Monday, May 17th while the investigation is being conducted and will be unavailable to the public until further details are known about the incident. Some services, such as COVID-19 vaccine appointment scheduling and the data dashboards, are hosted by outside sources and can still be accessed.
There are no details on who initiated the attack, why the Department of Health and Social Services was targeted, whether this attack is related to any other recent attacks, or how long the website may be down.
For phone assistance during business hours (8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.), please contact the department at 907-269-7800 or download a detailed list of contacts for divisions, sections and programs. For questions specific to COVID-19, the COVID-19 vaccine helpline is available at 907-646-3322 from 9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. on weekdays, and 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. on weekends. You may also email covid19vaccine@alaska.gov for help. We ask Alaskans for their patience as we work through this rapidly evolving situation during an already demanding time.
List of DHSS services offline as of May 18, 2021
The following online services are currently offline. This list may change as some services go offline or others return back online. The DHSS recommends using the phone list if you have further questions about specific services.
- AKAIMS – Alaska’s Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse Management System
- DHSS public website
- State of Alaska Vital Records System
- DHSS Background Check System
- Find A Childcare Provider
- Case Management System – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)Work Activities
- IBIS – Indicator Based Information System for Public Health
- ILP – Grantee Based System for Infant Learning Program
- Grantee-based information exchange for the Infant Learning Program
- Grantee-based reporting for the Infant Learning Program
- SAGE – System for Schools to Report Vaccine Data to Public Health
- YODA – Youth Offender Data Application for Youth Courts
- GEMS – Grantee Portal for Grants Electronic Management System
- AKVaxMatch – Alaska Provider Vaccine Exchange
- Developmental Disabilities Waiver Online Form
- DHSS Epidemiological Bulletins
- Count of Available Beds in Various Behavioral Health Facilities
- Review Process for Health Care Construction Projects and Equipment Purchases State Expends for Medicaid
- Vital Statistics Online Data Request Form
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