US Department of Transportation says cyber attack still unidentified

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
13 May 16:30
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The US Department of Transportation announces that the personal information of at least 237,000 former and current employees has been breached in a cyber attack that remains under investigation.

A man types on a computer keyboard in Warsaw in this February 28, 2013 illustration file picture. (Reuters)

At least 237,000 current and former personnel of the US Department of Transportation (DOT) have reportedly had their personal information hacked by unidentified hackers who allegedly infiltrated into the agency's networked computers.

Despite insisting that the hack did not affect any transportation safety systems, the DOT was not able to identify the potential source of the cyber attack in a statement released on Friday, local media reported.

The initial investigation of the DOT, as explained in an email the DOT sent to US Congress, isolated the breach to particular systems used by the administrative department. The report further added that the cyber attack targeted TRANServe's transportation benefits processing systems.

It is also worth noting that DOT also confirmed that as of yet, it remained unclear whether or not personal information has been used for criminal purposes knowing that the breach affected 14,000 current employees and 123,000 former employees.

Biden warns of possible Russian cyberattacks in response to sanctions

US President Joe Biden, earlier in March, warned US companies of intelligence suggesting a Russian "cyber threat", urging US businesses to "immediately" prepare defenses.

"If you have not already done so, I urge our private sector partners to harden your cyber defenses immediately," he said in a statement.

Biden said there is "evolving intelligence" that the Russian government is pondering conducting cyberattacks against the US in response to the wave of Western sanctions slammed at Russia over the crisis in Ukraine.

Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technology Anne Neuberger said in a briefing with reporters that despite the US President's warning, "there is no certainty that there will be a cyber incident on critical infrastructure."

She also added that despite government efforts to strengthen its aid in the cybersecurity field, there is still a lot more the government has to do in order for it to have the confidence that it has locked its digital doors.

Biden said the US government will use "every tool" to respond to Russia's cyberattacks, adding that most critical infrastructure in the US is owned and operated by private entities, meaning that the states cannot force them to take certain measures in cybersecurity.

He urged them, however, to "accelerate efforts to lock their digital doors."

This comes at a time Russia has been subjected to a number of cyberattacks targeting different facilities. Last week, the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry came under DDoS attacks around the clock, the Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson said.

"The [ministry's] website, like the websites of other government agencies, has been under DDoS attacks around the clock for these couple of weeks," Zakharova told the Solovyov Live show on YouTube.