Subj : The US Marshals have been hit by a major ransomware attack
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Tue Feb 28 2023 18:30:03

The US Marshals have been hit by a major ransomware attack

Date:
Tue, 28 Feb 2023 18:18:57 +0000

Description:
A "stand-alone USMS system" was affected, the department confirms, with 
employee data accessed.

FULL STORY
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The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), a sector within the Department of Justice, 
has been hit with what it describes as a major ransomware attack, in which 
sensitive employee data might have been taken. 

Department spokesperson Drew Wade confirmed the incident, which he said took 
place on February 17, was a ransomware and data exfiltration event affecting 
a stand-alone USMS system. 

That system has since been disconnected from the wider USMS network, while 
the organization investigates the aftermath. Apparently, employee data was 
taken, together with sensitive data on the departments work. Unknown threat 
actors 

"The affected system contains law enforcement sensitive information, 
including returns from legal process, administrative information, and 
personally identifiable information pertaining to subjects of USMS 
investigations, third parties, and certain USMS employees," Wade said. 

 BleepingComputer reported that sources close to the incident confirmed the 
attackers did not access the departments Witness Security Files Information 
System - the witness protection database. 

As the investigation continues, other details are scarce. At this moment, it 
is unknown which group is behind the attack, how much money theyre demanding 
in exchange for the decryption key, or how they managed to infiltrate the 
USMS systems. Read more 

> The FBI might have suffered a cyberattack 


 > The FBI has busted a major online criminal database selling millions of 
user details 


 > Check out the best firewalls today 

What we do know is that this isnt USMS first cyber-incident. Back in 2020, 
BleepingComputer reminds, the department exposed the details of more than 
380,000 former and current inmates, including their names, birthdays, postal 
addresses, and Social Security numbers. 

In the incident, the attackers managed to breach one of USMS public-facing 
servers called DSNet. These servers were handling the housing and movement of 
prisoners, the report said. 

Law enforcement organizations in the States are often in the crosshairs of 
malware operators. Just a week ago, it was reported that the FBI suffered a 
cyberattack in which a New York Field Office computer system, used by the FBI 
to investigate cases of child sexual exploitation, was compromised. Check out 
the best endpoint protection services at the moment 

Via: BleepingComputer



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/news/the-us-marshals-have-been-hit-by-a-major-ransom
ware-attack


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