Exclusive: DHS Says Georgia Hack May Have Been Rogue EmployeeOfficials tell members of Congress the attack on state firewall could have been inside job
by Edmund Kozak | Updated 10 Dec 2016 at 10:14 AM
The Department of Homeland Security told members of congress Friday that a rogue federal employee may have been responsible for a November hack-attack that targeted the Georgia secretary of state’s system, LifeZette has learned.
On Friday afternoon DHS initiated a conference call with members of Georgia’s congressional delegation to discuss the cyber-attack, a Capitol Hill staffer with knowledge of the call told LifeZette.
“There’s a lot of mistrust at the moment”
DHS officials said on the call that there were two possible explanations for the hack, the source said. Either a malicious third-party mirrored the DHS IP address linked to the hack — or someone within the department executed the attempted infiltration without authorization. DHS is currently investigating both possibilities.
At the invitation of Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), staff from the House Oversight Committee and Homeland Security Committee also participated on the call, another source with knowledge of the situation confirmed.
The emergency call with the Georgia delegation came in response to a strongly worded letter sent by Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson on Thursday, on which the entire Georgia delegation to Congress was copied.
http://www.lifezette.com/polizette/exclusive-dhs-admits-georgia-hack-may-inside-job/
