Page Content
UPDATE: Online applications were restored on Sept. 18.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) is working closely with the West Virginia Office of Technology to investigate a computer breach that has affected some online applications.
The WVDEP has temporarily taken offline all of the external applications the agency hosts, except GIS mapping. The Electronic Submission System (ESS), which is the primary application affected, is used by various industries to file permit applications and to submit compliance data.
At this time there is no reason to suspect any personally identifiable information of any users was compromised. The investigation suggests the WVDEP servers were used to send spam phishing emails, and not to steal information of users. The method used to gain entrance to the servers has been identified and is being addressed.
The WVDEP recognizes this may pose an inconvenience to customers, but these measures are appropriate to ensure the greater security of the online applications. The systems are expected to return to full functionality early next week.