Idaho Fish and Game sells almost two million hunting and fishing licenses every year. Since 2007, they’ve contracted with Active Network, a vendor based in Texas. According to Administration Bureau Chief Michael Pearson, the department began looking into other options a couple years ago.
“We decided in early 2016 that we needed to take a look and see what vendors were out there," says Pearson. "If there were some new and better ways of doing things. And so the unfortunate incident with the vendor and personal identifiable information – it was obviously a part of the conversation when we went out for [request for proposal] but it was not a causal factor.”
The incident he’s referring to was a cyberattack on Active Network which impacted some Idaho customers in August 2016. The hack prompted the state to purchase a $25 million cybersecurity insurance policy. Idaho’s new contractor is called JMT, and works with other fish and wildlife agencies in Washington, Maryland and West Virginia. The state has signed a five-year contract with them for $9.7 million.
Pearson asks that customers be patient as the system transfers over at 11 p.m. the night of February 28 and to plan ahead to get their license.
Find reporter Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill
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