(TNS) — License renewal for registered nurses in Alabama is back online six weeks after the state’s Board of Nursing went to paper applications following a cybersecurity event.The ABON is investigating a ransomware attack from August that may have exposed personal information for all Alabama nurses, applicants and members of the public who interact with the agency.Administrative Director Honor Ingels told AL.com Wednesday that RN renewal is back online in a new system, with initial exam applications expected to return to service next.About 60,000 nurses with single state licenses must renew by Dec. 1, and the deadline has not been extended.Ingels said renewals “doing just fine” and proceeding at a “healthy pace.”The board had been building a new database for about a year before the cybersecurity event occurred, according to Ingels.He said nurses are unlikely to see the old system again and described the replacement as a “much better system still under development” that is “as secure as a government entity can be.”Ingels stressed that there was “no reason” for nurses to be concerned about renewing their license under the new system.A forensic investigation identified malicious activity within portions of the board’s technology environment, according to a previous news release from the agency.Investigators determined that data was collected and downloaded during the attack, though containment measures prevented the breach from escalating.The board oversees more than 97,000 licensed nurses in the state, according to its website.Potentially compromised data could include names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, professional licensing information and medical information, according to the release.The Alabama Office of Information Technology is cooperating with the FBI and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to investigate the scope of the breach and restore services.Officials are also evaluating enhanced security measures.The board is urging licensees, applicants and others potentially affected to watch for phishing or impersonation schemes, which could arrive through unexpected emails, texts or phone calls referencing nursing licenses, credit, fees or the cybersecurity event itself.The board recommends not clicking on unexpected links, opening unverified attachments or providing personal information.Those concerned should change passwords to strong, unique combinations and enable multifactor authentication for email, financial, healthcare and employment accounts.The board also recommends monitoring bank accounts and identity-related activity, or considering credit freezes or fraud alerts with financial institutions. Any unauthorized transactions should be reported immediately as possible identity theft.The ABON emphasized in a statement that it will not ask anyone to provide account credentials or passwords by email, text or unsolicited phone calls.©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit al.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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