From New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender:

• • • • • Clients, court process across the state affected by heightened security protocol

The New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender (LOPD) has been the target of a significant cybersecurity breach, compromising the office’s ability to communicate with clients and criminal court partners and to access critical internal records.

The breach, which surfaced June 27, does not appear to have spread outside the department or to those who contract with the department. Substantial security protocols between LOPD and court partners will affect the timeliness of court proceedings across the state.

“We are responding to this security breach as an emergency and doing our absolute best to guard our clients and our court partners. Our primary focus is to protect the confidential information of our colleagues and those we represent and to restore our systems to full functionality,” Chief Public Defender Ben Baur said.

Phone calls and office visits are the best way for the public and clients to interact with the department.

As the state’s largest law firm, LOPD represents low-income people facing criminal charges in New Mexico. LOPD operates 13 offices across the state with more than 400 employees and contracts with about 100 private attorneys.

Despite extensive cybersecurity procedures at LOPD, this breach places LOPD in a growing group of government agencies targeted by hackers in New Mexico and nationally.