by Calling 911 is meant to save lives. But the emergency service, and others like it, are seen as ripe targets for criminally minded cyber-attackers, according to a new federal assessment – and any vulnerability in those critical networks can expose victims to multiple effects dangerous ripple.
The analysis, compiled by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and obtained by ABC News, outlines concerns that the Emergency Service Sector can be exploited and mined for sensitive data, which would hamper medical services and law enforcement and poses a continuing threat to personal persons. information and public safety.
“Cybercriminal exploitation of data stolen during ransomware attacks against the Emergency Service Sector (ESS) is likely to be an ongoing criminal threat due to the exposure and availability of victims’ personal information,” according to the April 10 bulletin.
Ransomware attacks “disrupted police department operations networks and 911 call centers,” the bulletin continued, putting computer-aided dispatch services out of commission and forcing emergency services to “return to manual dispatch to sustain their operations.”
Once stolen, the attackers can leak, sell or otherwise use potentially sensitive personal information and police records “to facilitate further crimes – including extortion, identity theft and swatting, ” said the DHS bulletin.
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“While cyberattacks were once thought to be a technology issue, today they are seen as a threat to the operations of law enforcement and other public safety agencies,” said John Cohen, former head of intelligence at the Department of Homeland Security, who is now chief information. ABC News contributor.
“Imagine the impact on local public safety if prison management systems were inoperable due to a cyber attack, police communication capabilities were disrupted, the public was unable to contact local police in an emergency, detectives and investigators were able to access sensitive case data. ,” Cohen said. “If a foreign terrorist group, or a nation state, can compel law enforcement responses by targeting their 911 call center, or if police departments can’t access investigative or other important information – that will hinder their emergency response, and that will help them. threat actors in achieving their operational objectives.”
And because of how basic and highly sensitive emergency systems are, and the availability of personally identifiable information they contain, they can make cybercriminals very attractive targets for extortion, the DHS bulletin said, because of “the perception possible that ESS entities are motivated to pay ransom to ensure continuity of services.”
“To hijack a police department, or a fire department, or any emergency service in any way, it’s a big problem for public safety and, as well, you have to have a lot of resources to address it. And it can also prevent us from conducting investigations,” said Robert Boyce, an ABC News contributor and retired chief of detectives for the New York Police Department.
The new federal analysis adds to an already volatile moment in America, as partisan tensions mount ahead of a high-stakes presidential election, multiple wars are being waged overseas, and political violence has already broken out. own abroad.
Meanwhile, domestic extremists who are still emboldended to attack are also taking ideological grievances more compound, intelligence analysts found, which means it is becoming more difficult for authorities to identify the motivations behind attacks.
“As we approach the election season, there is increasing concern that local communities will experience a combination of cyber-intelligence operations and physical attacks at the same time. The physical activities, to interfere with the electoral process, and the cyber activities to interfere with the ability of local officials to respond,” said Cohen.
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In the 21st century, such threat actors are aided by a vast array of technological advances that offer creative new tools – such as cyber attacks.
In January, a cyber attack hit the emergency communications department in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, outside Philadelphia, disrupting their computer-assisted 911 system — forcing dispatchers to use pen and paper to get information from callers, according to ABC station WPVI.
That same month, the computer system in Fulton County, Georgia was hacked, paralyzing many government services and causing after-effects that lasted for weeks.
State, local, tribal and territorial governments “manage the majority of CSE networks and are among the groups most frequently victimized by ransomware actors, but most lack the resources to independently improve their cybersecurity posture ,” according to a DHS bulletin.
In addition, emergency services “often rely” on state, local, tribal and territorial government networks “that use legacy information systems and operational technology – which can be prohibitively expensive to replace or disrupt operations – and do not have enough information technology and trained and resourced resources. cyber security personnel,” the bulletin said. He urged a “cooperative cross-jurisdictional approach to cyber security and prioritizing cyber hygiene best practices” to protect critical networks against “unprovoked network attack”.
“Good preparation is good prevention,” Cohen told ABC News. “The threat environment is volatile and complex, and the level of preparation that is taking place at the state and local level is far greater than anything I’ve seen in 40-plus years.”
Emergency services are a likely target for cyberattacks, according to DHS appeared first on abcnews.go.com
