Kansas driver's license offices bounce back after CrowdStrike issues

TOPEKA (KSNT) - The Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR) is releasing new information on service issues being experienced in the wake of last week's CrowdStrike software update problems.

KDOR spokesman Zachary Denning told 27 News the department has fixed systems under its direct control that were impacted by the July 19 cyber issues. However, some issues persist days later with some driver's license offices around the state.

"The remaining outages currently affecting driver's license offices have taken longer to resolve," Denning said. "These systems are handled by an outside vendor, and some impacted computers require on-site tech support. The agency's information technology division is assisting the vendor in expediting repairs so offices can resume normal operations."

Denning said each office is different and is being fixed on a case-by-case basis. Updates on the status of these offices will be sent out as they reopen and return to their normal schedules.

"The agency expects the IT vendor to quickly restore their computer systems to full functionality to minimize the impact on customers," Denning said.

People can follow the KDOR's Facebook page for updates on which offices are open or closed in Kansas. In the KDOR's last update on Monday, July 22 they listed the Ottawa, Chanute and Colby driver's license offices as still being unable to process transactions. KDOR encourages people who are unable to renew their licenses to try renewing online using this link.

The cause of the global tech outage came from a software update that disrupted services in air travel, health care, shipping and more worldwide, according to a report from The Associated Press. The update was issued by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike which impacted people using Microsoft Windows. This caused many flights around the world to be grounded and prevented some local TV stations from broadcasting on Friday, July 19.

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