As Many As 25K DHS Workers Private Data Compromised By Hackers

Hackers Hit 25,000 Homeland Security Workers

 

 

 

 

 

 

” The internal records of as many as 25,000 Homeland Security Department employees were exposed during a recent computer break-in at a federal contractor that handles security clearances, an agency official said Friday.

  The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss details of an incident that is under active federal criminal investigation, said the number of victims could be greater. The department was informing employees whose files were exposed in the hacking against contractor USIS and warning them to monitor their financial accounts.

  Earlier this month, USIS acknowledged the break-in, saying its internal cybersecurity team had detected what appeared to be an intrusion with “all the markings of a state-sponsored attack.” Neither USIS nor government officials have speculated on the identity of the foreign government. A USIS spokeswoman reached Friday declined to comment on the DHS notifications. “

 

” We’re in the best of hands ” … read more

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Why Does The IRS Need License Plate Tracking Technology ?

IRS Among Agencies Using License Plate-Tracking Vendor

 

 

 

 

 

” The Internal Revenue Service and other U.S. agencies awarded about $415,000 in contracts to a license plate-tracking company before Homeland Security leaders dropped a plan for similar work amid privacy complaints.

  Federal offices such as the Forest Service and the U.S. Air Force’s Air Combat Command chose Livermore, California-based Vigilant Solutions to provide access to license plate databases or tools used to collect plate information, according to government procurement records compiled by Bloomberg.

  Vigilant, a closely held company, has received such work since 2009. In February, Jeh Johnson, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, ordered the cancelation of an immigration agency plan to buy access to national license plate data. While the technology can help solve crimes, the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups have said the mass collection of data infringes the privacy of innocent people.

“ Especially with the IRS, I don’t know why these agencies are getting access to this kind of information,” said Jennifer Lynch, a senior staff attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based privacy-rights group. “These systems treat every single person in an area as if they’re under investigation for a crime — that is not the way our criminal justice system was set up or the way things work in a democratic society.” “

Read more at Bloomberg

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Another Big Brother -Big Business Partnership … This Time For Snooping

Big Companies To Partner With Homeland Security To Scan Some Private Emails/Web Traffic

 

 

” It is nice to know that our privacy is being compromised as part of a massive public/private partnership. The surveillance state just took a big step forward, officially.

We are told that this information will only be used in the most dire of circumstances, but history has shown us that the government becomes less concerned about “circumstances” the longer it has the technology. This should concern everyone. That this had to be done via the executive branch because of popular resistance should concern everyone. That it was done despite this resistance should concern everyone.

(From NBC News)

Under last month’s White House executive order on cybersecurity, the scans will be driven by classified information provided by U.S. intelligence agencies — including data from the National Security Agency (NSA) — on new or especially serious espionage threats and other hacking attempts. U.S. spy chiefs said on March 12 that cyber attacks have supplanted terrorism as the top threat to the country.

The Department of Homeland Security will gather the secret data and pass it to a small group of telecommunication companies and cyber security providers that have employees holding security clearances, government and industry officials said. Those companies will then offer to process email and other Internet transmissions for critical infrastructure customers that choose to participate in the program.”

Related articles

• All U.S. Intelligence Agencies – Including CIA And NSA – To Spy On Americans’ Finances (infiniteunknown.net)
• Surveillance State USA (youviewed.com)
• US DHS cyber security head to join Chertoff Group (computerweekly.com)
• All U.S. Intelligence Agencies – Including CIA and NSA – to Spy On Americans’ Finances (washingtonsblog.com)

 

 

 

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