Fake Hacking Warnings Sent from FBI Server
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have confirmed that a large number of fake emails were sent to users from a secure FBI computer server.
Fake emails purportedly from the US Department of Homeland Security warning of cyberattacks were sent out Saturday from a secure FBI computer server, computer security experts said.
The FBI confirmed that a large number of fake emails were sent in two waves early Saturday from an address on the government's Law Enforcement Enterprise Portal, which is used by multiple government agencies.
We have been made aware of "scary" emails sent in the last few hours that purport to come from the FBI/DHS. While the emails are indeed being sent from infrastructure that is owned by the FBI/DHS (the LEEP portal), our research shows that these emails *are* fake.
— Spamhaus (@spamhaus) November 13, 2021
Some of the emails, sent in the name of the Homeland Security cyber threat detection group, were headlined: "Urgent: threat actor in systems."
They warned recipients that they were the target of a "sophisticated" hacking attack from a known extortion gang, according to Spamhaus.
In a statement, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency confirmed the incident, without offering details.
"The FBI and CISA are aware of the incident this morning involving fake emails from an @ic.fbi.gov email account," they said.
"This is an ongoing situation and we are not able to provide any additional information at this time. We continue to encourage the public to be cautious of unknown senders."