According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), emergency services are considered ripe targets for criminally minded cyber attackers, according to a new federal assessment, and any vulnerabilities in those critical networks can expose victims to a host of dangerous knock-on effects.
The analysis released by ABC News highlights concerns that the Emergency Services Sector could be exploited and mined for sensitive data, which in turn hampers medical and police services and poses an ongoing threat to personal safety. . information and public safety.
“Cybercriminal exploitation of data stolen during ransomware attacks against the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) likely represents a threat cpersistent crime due to the exposure and availability of victims’ personal information,” according to the April 10 bulletin.
In the last year, according to the FBI, ransomware hackers have targeted hospitals, pharmaceuticals, technology companies and even the largest hotels and casinos in Las Vegas.
Described by the agency as a “huge problem,” Global losses from ransom payments are estimated to exceed $1 billion a year.
According to DHS, ransomware attacks have “disrupted police department networks and 911 call center operations,” the bulletin continued, knocking out computer-aided dispatch services and forcing dispatch services. emergency to “return to manual dispatch to sustain its operations.”
“Once stolen, attackers can leak, sell or otherwise use personal information and potentially sensitive police records “to facilitate additional crimes, including extortion, identity theft and swatting,” he insists.
According to experts, If a foreign terrorist group, or nation state, can hinder law enforcement responses by attacking your 911 call center, or police departments cannot gain access to investigative or other important information, that will hinder your response. emergency and will assist a threat actor in achieving their objectives.the operatives.
And because of how critical and highly sensitive emergency systems are, and the availability of personally identifiable information they include, they may appear to cybercriminals to be particularly attractive targets for extortion, DHS insisted.
The new federal analysis highlights an already volatile time in the United States, with partisan tensions rising ahead of a high-stakes presidential election, multiple wars being fought abroad and political violence already breaking out abroad.
Meanwhile, domestic extremists who remain emboldened to attack are also embracing more combined ideological grievances, intelligence analysts have found, making it increasingly difficult for authorities to identify the motivations behind the attacks.
Last February, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Christopher Wray, issued a warning about China’s cyber attacks against critical infrastructure in the United States, ensuring that these reached an unprecedented level.
During the annual security conference, Wray noted that there is covert insertion of offensive malware into American critical infrastructure networks by Beijing, ensuring that this has occurred on “a larger scale than we have seen before.”
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