Government

February 17, 2023

On February 17 the U.S. Marshals Service “discovered a ransomware and data exfiltration event affecting a stand-alone USMS system.” The unidentified hackers infiltrated a network used by the Technical Operations Group (TOG) to track fugitives, reports the Washington Post. The precise activities of the service are kept secret.

US Marshals Service spokesperson Drew Wade said no one in the witness protection program is in danger because of the breach. Nevertheless, the official said, the incident is significant, affecting law enforcement sensitive information pertaining to the subjects of Marshals Service investigations.

The agency developed a workaround enabling the unit to continue operations and efforts to track down fugitives. “Most critical tools” related to the affected computer network “were restored within 30 days of the breach discovery” in February, Wade told CNN, declining to explain what those critical tools were. The network remains compromised nearly 3 months after being hit.

The Technical Operations Group (TOG) network provides surveillance capabilities to track fugitives. The group operates 29 field offices in the US and Mexico and uses high-tech methods to track fugitives.

May 2, 2023

The City of Dallas, Texas, has suffered a Royal ransomware attack, causing it to shut down some of its IT systems to prevent the attack’s spread. Local media reported that the City’s police communications and IT systems were shut down Monday morning due to a suspected ransomware attack. This has led to 911 dispatchers having to write down received reports for officers rather than submit them via the computer-assisted dispatch system. The Dallas County Police Department’s website was offline for part of the day due to the security incident.

“Wednesday morning, the City’s security monitoring tools notified our Security Operations Center (SOC) that a likely ransomware attack had been launched within our environment. Subsequently, the City has confirmed that a number of servers have been compromised with ransomware, impacting several functional areas, including the Dallas Police Department Website,” explained a media statement from the City of Dallas. “The City is currently working to assess the complete impact, but at this time, the impact on the delivery of City services to its residents is limited. Should a resident experience a problem with a particular City service, they should contact 311. For emergencies, they should contact 911.”

BleepingComputer has also confirmed that the City’s court system canceled all jury trials and jury duty from May 2nd into today, as their IT systems are not operational. Dallas is the ninth largest city in the United States, with a population of approximately 2.6 million people.