Tag Archive for: Homeland

FBI, Department of Homeland Security investigating AT&T outages

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Several agencies, including the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, are investigating whether the widespread AT&T outages are the result of a cyberattack or hack.

Reports of disruptions started flooding in early Thursday morning around 4 a.m., with some 30,000 AT&T customers complaining of technical difficulties, leaving them unable to place calls, text or access the internet. Within hours, the number of people suffering issues more than doubled, and by 9:30 a.m., some 74,000 people reported having network connection issues, according to downdetector.com, a website that provides real-time information about the status of online services.

AT&T, the nation’s largest service carrier, acknowledged the outages in a statement shortly thereafter, saying 75% of its network had been restored. According to downdetector.com, some 15,000 users still had issues as of 1 p.m.

So far, no reason has been given for the service problems, but the White House said multiple federal agencies have communicated with AT&T about the outages, Reuters reported. National Security spokesman John Kirby confirmed Thursday that both the FBI and the DHS are looking into the matter in addition to working with partners in the tech industry to “see what we can do from a federal perspective to lend a hand to their investigative efforts to figure out what happened here.”

Kirby added that while they “don’t have all the answers” yet, the investigative efforts are ongoing.

“I mean, this just happened earlier today. And so we’re working very hard to see if we can get to the ground truth of exactly what happened,” he said.

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — an agency under the DHS umbrella, which is tasked with monitoring cyber threats — echoed Kirby’s statement in a confidential memo obtained by ABC News. It said “the cause of the outage is unknown, and there are no indications of malicious activity.”

The Federal Communications Commission is also investigating the outages.

With News Wire Services

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Homeland Security warns federal agencies of hackers targeting Google Chrome, Excel spreadsheets

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The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, is issuing a new warning: your Google Chrome browser and Excel spreadsheets could be at risk of an attack. The agency identified two new exploits that could give hackers easy access to your computer.

Federal agencies have until January 23 to make sure they’re protected. Here are some ways to make sure you’re protected too.

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Homeland Security warns federal agencies of hackers targeting Google Chrome, Excel spreadsheets

Microsoft logo on keyboard (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

Microsoft Excel’s new exploit

Hackers are targeting Microsoft Excel using a huge vulnerability in a library that reads Excel files. The bug is in a library called Spreadsheet::ParseExcel. It allows hackers to run malware remotely. Specifically, hackers can utilize a string in the library to run programs on your computer.

This exploit has popped up before. Security firm Barracuda noticed Chinese hackers using the exploit last month. They would create custom Excel attachments to exploit the bug and run any program they wanted to.

While Barracuda addressed this with a patch, they say open-source libraries could still be at risk. The company also issued a warning to anyone who uses Spreadsheet::ParseExcel, recommending they review the bug and take any necessary action.

Homeland Security warns federal agencies of hackers targeting Google Chrome, Excel spreadsheets

Google Chrome browser on laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

MORE: THE 7 SIGNS YOU’VE BEEN HACKED

Google Chrome’s bug

Google’s eighth day zero attack comes in the form of an attack on an open-source project. WebRTC allows web browsers and mobile applications to communicate in real-time. However, hackers are using it to overload your browser and either cause it to crash or give them permission to do whatever they want. This exploit doesn’t just affect Google Chrome. It also affects other open-source web browsers using WebRTC to communicate. Google issued an emergency fix just last month, but there’s more you can do to protect yourself.

Four essential tips to secure your devices and data from hackers and scammers 

To protect yourself from malicious hackers and scammers, we recommend you do the following four things.

1) Be cautious about using open-source…

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Homeland Security identifies 311 child victims of sexual exploitation in ‘cold cases’

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More than a dozen international law enforcement organizations worked together under U.S. leadership to identify and locate victims of child sexual exploitation in a just-completed operation that officials say is likely the most successful of its kind.

In the three-week “surge” known as Operation Renewed Hope, which began July 17, investigators combing through sexually graphic internet material involving children, much of it on the dark web and some of it decades old, made probable identifications of 311 child victims and confirmed the rescue of several victims from active abuse.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, took the lead in the operation, which included representatives from the Justice Department, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals, Interpol and Europol, as well as 13 law enforcement agencies from Australia, Canada and countries in Europe and South America.

In many of the cases in which victims have been identified, HSI officials told NBC News that the material had existed for many years, but investigators were previously unable to identify the child victims or the adult abusers. Thanks to new facial recognition and artificial intelligence technology, there are now fresh leads in these formerly cold cases.

After they narrowed down a location or tentatively identified a victim, the investigators sent their new leads to the appropriate local law enforcement agency. The operation sent more than 100 leads to HSI field offices and 25 partnering countries. Some suspects in Canada and the United States have already been arrested.

The announcement comes a week after the FBI revealed it had identified dozens of victims of child sex trafficking and more than 100 suspects in a separate sweep called Operation Cross Country.

Mike Prado, deputy assistant director of the HSI Cyber Crimes Center, said the results of Operation Renewed Hope “exceeded our wildest expectations in the sense of being able to identify children who have been abused for, in many cases, years.”

He gave NBC News a tour of the operation while it was in progress, being careful to avoid showing any of the highly graphic material under review.

In one room, more than 20…

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Your Guide To A Master’s In Homeland Security – Forbes Advisor

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Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors’ opinions or evaluations.

As natural disasters, terrorist attacks and cyberterrorism pose ongoing threats to our communities, there is an ongoing need for knowledgeable professionals who work to keep us safe and secure. Many people who fill these roles are educated in homeland security principles.

If you already have work experience in homeland security or a related field and are ready to expand your knowledge and build leadership valuable skills, consider earning a master’s in homeland security. This degree provides you with an in-depth understanding of the critical security issues facing society every day, opening up opportunities for management careers in the field.

This article explores master’s degrees in homeland security, including typical admission requirements, concentrations and potential career outcomes.

What Is a Master’s in Homeland Security?

A master’s in homeland security prepares you for various management-level careers focused on protecting our nation, government, communities, organizations and citizens. In this degree program, you can expect to study homeland defense, the politics of security, regulations and laws, emergency management and disaster preparedness, and constitutional law and ethics.

Professionals with master’s degrees in homeland security often work in natural disaster preparedness and response, immigration and travel, law enforcement, intelligence, threat prevention and response, and other critical fields.

A master’s in homeland security typically takes 18 months to two years of full-time study to earn, requiring 30 to 36 credits of coursework. Depending on the program you choose, you may need to complete a thesis or capstone project.

Specializations for Master’s Degrees in Homeland Security

Some homeland security master’s programs require or allow students to choose an area of specialization, also called a concentration or track. While offerings vary, below are a few popular homeland security specializations.

Emergency Management

An emergency management concentration teaches you…

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