Washington State Cannabis Tracking System Hacked

Washington State Cannabis Tracking System Hacked

Washington state’s new cannabis-tracking system was hacked the weekend of Feb. 3, according to the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB). Among other information, the hacker stole route information associated with four days of marijuana deliveries.

  • By Jessica Davis
  • Feb 12, 2018

Washington state’s new cannabis-tracking system was hacked the weekend of Feb. 3, according to the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB). Among other information, the hacker stole route information associated with four days of marijuana deliveries.

Washington state requires the tracking of marijuana products from when it’s planted to when it’s sold to a pot user, allowing regulators to watch for suspicious movement of plants or products. The state’s traceability system, Leaf Data, was breached on Feb. 3.

“A computer vulnerability was exploited on Saturday, allowing unauthorized access to the traceability system,” according to WSLCB Deputy Director Peter Antolin. “There are indications an intruder downloaded a copy of the traceability database and took action that caused issues with inventory transfers for some users. We believe this was the root cause of the transfer/manifest issue experienced between Saturday and Monday.”

According to Antolin, the information downloaded did not contain personally identifiable information and, except for the manifest data, most data captured by the intruder was already public.

Manifest data includes detailed information on where cannabis products in the legal market are, where they’re from, and where they’re going, as well as transporter vehicle descriptions and license plate numbers. That data could potentially be used to intercept shipments or even rob drivers of cash and cannabis products.

Leaf Data developers MJ Freeway discovered problems associated with the hack on Feb. 3 and notified WSLCB on Monday. On Thursday, all marijuana licensees were notified and the WSLCB contacted the Washington State Office of CyberSecurity, which is investigating the hack.

According to WSLCB, it and MJ Freeway “continue to implement several strategies to prevent future vulnerabilities,” but because the investigation is ongoing, “details on security are not publicly available.”

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

Featured

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services

  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

  • Report: Nearly 1 in 5 Healthcare Leaders Say Cyberattacks Have Impacted Patient Care

    Omega Systems, a provider of managed IT and security services, today released new research that reveals the growing impact of cybersecurity challenges on leading healthcare organizations and patient safety. According to the 2025 Healthcare IT Landscape Report, 19% of healthcare leaders say a cyberattack has already disrupted patient care, and more than half (52%) believe a fatal cyber-related incident is inevitable within the next five years. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities