News

U.S Homeland Security Contractor Hacked

U.S. Investigations Services (USIS), a company based in Falls Church in Virginia, has been the victim of what is said to be a state-sponsored cyber attack. USIS performs background check for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) among other. The attack probably involved the theft of personal information about DHS employees.

DHS said it had suspended all work with the company pending an investigation by the FBI. A “multi-agency cyber response team is working with the company to identify the scope of the intrusion,” DHS spokesman Peter Boogaard said in a statement to Reuters.

“At this time, our forensic analysis has concluded that some DHS personnel may have been affected, and DHS has notified its entire workforce, out of an abundance of caution, to advise them to monitor their financial accounts for suspicious activity,” Peter Boogaard said, adding that employees whose data had likely been compromised would be informed.

Even though the government officials don’t believe that the breach has affected non-DHS employees, the Office of Personnel (OPM) Management also suspended the work with USIS. In a statement on the USIS website it reads, “We are working collaboratively with OPM and DHS to resolve this matter quickly and look forward to resuming service on all our contracts with them as soon as possible.” “We will support the authorities in the investigation and any prosecution of those determined to be responsible for this criminal attack”.

USIS is the biggest commercial provider of background investigations to the federal government, having over 5,700 employees and providing services in all U.S. states and territories as well as abroad.

Thank you Reuters for providing us with this information

Images courtesy of Homeland Security

Bohs Hansen

Disqus Comments Loading...

Recent Posts

Assassin’s Creed Boss Calls Shadows’ Inclusivity Backlash ‘Devastating’

The Assassin's Creed Shadows development team has been facing a difficult time amid an ongoing…

7 mins ago

Yoshi-P Says He Would Like a Re-Release of Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy Tactics

More than twenty years after the launch of Vagrant Story, many are still dreaming of…

22 mins ago

Still Wakes the Deep 

LIVE THE HORROR: An immersive disaster story aboard a stunningly realised North Sea oil rig,…

5 hours ago

PHILIPS 275V8LA – 27 Inch QHD Monitor

The Philips VA LED display uses an advanced multi-domain vertical alignment technology that gives you…

5 hours ago

EPOMAKER Ajazz AK820 Pro 75% Gasket-mounted Mechanical Keyboard 

【TFT Screen: The Interactive Interface】This 75% mechanical keyboard comes equipped with a TFT Screen, serving…

5 hours ago

Funko Fusion

FANDOM FUSION Play as your favorite characters and wield their unique weapons and skills. Team…

5 hours ago