Even as Washington is allowing hunting and fishing without licenses or tags for the next few days – as its entire state license system is suspended due to a data breach – Idaho’s still requiring licenses. That’s because Idaho’s only shut down its online sales of licenses and tags, and is still selling licenses in person both at state Fish and Game offices and at vendors throughout the state, a total of 400 locations in Idaho.  

The two states share the same vendor: Active Network, out of Texas, said Mike Keckler, Idaho Fish and Game spokesman. “Eighty percent of our licenses are sold at various businesses and offices – we’re only talking about 20 percent that are purchased online,” Keckler said. “Our two systems, they’ve been able to uncouple them and they run separately, and we’ve been assured that those people who buy in person can purchase safely.”

Andrea Kirby, corporate communications manager for Active Network at its Dallas headquarters, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from the company.

Kecker said the vendor, who’s handled Idaho’s Fish and Game license system since 2007, notified the state of a problem on Tuesday, saying there had been a breach of their system. “So we waited for information to determine whether or not this affected Idaho residents,” he said. “They were unable to tell us that at that point. Last evening, we decided we’d better just shut this thing down until we know.”

Active Network also handles hunting and fishing license for Oregon. Oregon Fish &  Wildlife spokesman Rick Hargrave said Oregon shut down its online portal for hunting and fishing licenses and tags Tuesday morning, but opened it back up about 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday after a state network security officials failed to fined evidence of a breach. "They could not find any evidence of any bbreach of personally identifiable information, both them and the Active Network also worked on their system to look to see if there was anything to indicate a breach," Hargrave said. "We're still online. ... I wouldn't characterize it as we're done. We're still obviously vigilant, and there's still an investigation, if you will, but we haven't seen anything to indicate that we were exposed."  

Keckler, in Idaho, said, “As I understand it, they received an email from someone who said, ‘I’ve found a vulnerability within your system,’ and that’s how it started.”

Online discussion forums are buzzing with the news, with reports centering around a hack of the states’ sites that reportedly gave the hacker access to personal identifying information for thousands of license or tag holders, with the hacker contacting the sites and waiting to see if they fix the problems.

“What was the person’s motives, we don’t know at this point,” Keckler said. “That’s what they’re trying to figure out.”

Though most Idahoans still can purchase their licenses and tags without inconvenience, out-of-state hunters and anglers will have to travel to Idaho to buy them until the system is restored.

Keckler said the Idaho Department of Fish and Game is currently working on a request for proposals for a new license vendor. “We’ll put it out any day,” he said. “The hope is we’ll have a new vendor in place in 2018.” He added, “I want to emphasize: It was the Active Network system that was breached – not Idaho Fish and Game or the state of Idaho database.”

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