Excerpts from wtop.com:
According to recent warnings issued by the Department of Homeland Security and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, cyberattacks on law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and other emergency services are becoming increasingly common and are expected to grow even more frequent in the near future. An intelligence report indicates that "cyber threats targeting the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) are likely to rise as systems and networks become more interconnected, and the ESS becomes more reliant on information technology for day-to-day operations."
This assessment highlights that the integrated nature of these systems creates more potential targets for hackers. Vulnerable systems include call-center communication management software, closed-circuit TV camera systems, interactive voice response systems, and emergency alert systems—especially wireless emergency alert systems.
Cyberattacks on emergency services aren't a novel occurrence. Incidents of similar nature date back over four years. One of the most infamous cases occurred in February 2013.
Viewers of KRTV in North Central Montana were startled when they heard the usual emergency alert tones followed by an alarming message. Instead of routine updates, they were told, "Civil authorities in your area have reported that the bodies of the dead are rising from their graves and attacking the living. Follow the messages on screen that will be updated as information becomes available. Do not attempt to approach or apprehend these bodies as they are considered extremely dangerous."
A similar message was later aired on WMNU-TV and WBUP-TV in the upper Michigan Peninsula region. These systems, along with others in California, New Mexico, and Utah, were compromised in the same way: the hacker remotely accessed the systems via the internet due to firmware vulnerabilities.
Law enforcement eventually managed to stop the perpetrator overseas, but the attacks didn’t cease. Since then, the Department of Homeland Security has noticed a recurring pattern suggesting that such attacks will continue to escalate. According to the DHS assessment, approximately 600 critical government phone systems nationwide, including 200 public-safety answering points (PSAPs), were hit by telephony denial-of-service (TDoS) attacks.
The following year, in June 2014, police forces in Southern California and several local public-safety agencies fell victim to a ransomware attack that affected 100 computers and 10 servers. In May 2015, a Nevada county sheriff's department and a Wisconsin police department were also struck by ransomware, which encrypted both departments' shared folders.
As concerns mount over the growing frequency of such cyberattacks, DHS has released a set of best practices for emergency service operators to follow in order to reduce vulnerabilities. These recommendations include regularly backing up critical data, ideally storing it on separate devices and keeping backups offline to minimize data loss and facilitate quicker recovery processes. It is also crucial to maintain up-to-date antivirus software and ensure operating systems and software are patched with the latest updates.
Be vigilant when handling emails, especially those claiming to come from "trusted entities," and avoid clicking on links or opening attachments unless absolutely necessary. Always navigate to official websites directly rather than accessing links provided in emails. Watch out for URLs that mimic legitimate sites but differ slightly in spelling or domain names. Additionally, be cautious about downloading files from unknown sources, as malicious code can easily be embedded in common file types like .doc, .pdf, .exe, and .zip. Double-check file extensions, particularly those ending in combinations like .pdf.exe. Lastly, only download software from reputable websites and enable features that automatically scan email attachments before saving them to your system or network.
With these measures in place, emergency service providers can better protect themselves against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.
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