The FBI’s Cybersecurity Program for Critical Infrastructure Was Hacked

A hacker has breached an FBI program devoted to essential infrastructure cybersecurity and is now promoting entry to its information on the darkish net.

Security blogger Brian Krebs reports that InfraGard, an information-sharing program maintained by the bureau, was compromised earlier this month by a cybercriminal who goes by the moniker “USDoD.” After swiping an inside database that contained contact info for “tens of thousands” of InfraGard members, the hacker proceeded to publish its contents on the market on the darkish net market “Breached,” the place anyone can now purchase the data for $50,000. The hacker instructed Krebs that the excessive worth set for the information was a negotiating tactic: “I don’t think someone will pay that price, but I have to [price it] a bit higher to [negotiate] the price that I want,” they mentioned.

InfraGard is an information-sharing community designed to permit high-level professionals each out and in of the federal government to collaborate on problems with cybersecurity and protection. InfraGard’s membership consists of safety execs from authorities companies and main firms and, on its website, it describes its mission like this:

InfraGard is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and members of the personal sector for the safety of U.S. Critical Infrastructure. Through seamless collaboration, InfraGard connects house owners and operators inside essential infrastructure to the FBI, to supply training, info sharing, networking, and workshops on rising applied sciences and threats.

In the sector of cybersecurity, information-sharing is a well-liked method for establishments to assist shield themselves and one another. Despite InfraGard’s said mission, nevertheless, the FBI apparently missed the rising risk of a hacker sifting by their community.

“USDoD,” the hacker, claims that they gained entry to InfraGard’s protected surroundings through the use of a company govt’s stolen private info. The hacker used the manager’s Social Security Number, birthday, and different data to file a phony utility for inclusion in InfraGard’s membership (it’s unclear the place the hacker obtained the exec’s data, however such information may also be bought on the darkish net). Within a number of weeks, the hacker’s utility was accepted, apparently with out a lot vetting by the FBI. Once granted entry to the org’s inside surroundings, USDoD says they used a easy Python script aimed toward one of many web site’s Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) to name up and steal private info on the opposite taking part members.

As of Tuesday night, USDoD’s phony account was apparently nonetheless energetic and hadn’t but been terminated by the FBI. Krebs experiences:

To show they nonetheless had entry to InfraGard as of publication time Tuesday night, USDoD despatched a direct word by InfraGard’s messaging system to an InfraGard member whose private particulars have been initially printed as a teaser on the database gross sales thread. That InfraGard member, who’s head of safety at a serious U.S. know-how agency, confirmed receipt of USDoD’s message however requested to stay nameless for this story.

Whether the information that USDoD stole is definitely all that precious or not is a dangling query. Krebs writes that a whole lot of the accounts within the database are lacking essential items of non-public info, comparable to birthdays, social safety numbers, and emails.

When reached for remark by Gizmodo, InfraGard offered us with the identical temporary assertion it had shared with Krebs: “This is an ongoing situation, and we are not able to provide any additional information at this time.”