HHS Fends Off Cyber Attack as Agency Moves Toward Telework

Cyber-attackers attempted to disrupt the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services computer systems over the weekend. Attackers failed at penetrating the network due to what the department described as “extra protections” put in place to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. The National Security Council has warned the public and agencies of the possibility of increased cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns as more people move to telework and look to the internet for updates on the coronavirus spread.

According to a spokesperson from the National Security Council (NSC) in Bloomberg News, the group is aware of incidences targeting HHS over the weekend, but the networks are “functioning normally at this time.”

HHS Secretary Alex Azar confirmed at a White House briefing Monday that the department had “no penetration into our networks” and “no degradation of the functioning of our networks” despite hackers’ attempts.

“In the previous 24 hours we saw a great deal of enhanced activity with relation to the HHS computer systems and website,” Azar said. “Fortunately we have extremely strong barriers.”

Cyber criminals overloaded the HHS servers with millions of hits over several hours in an apparent attempt to slow the network.

“HHS has an IT infrastructure with risk-based security controls continuously monitored in order to detect and address cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities,” the department said in a statement. “On Sunday, we became aware of a significant increase in activity on HHS cyber infrastructure and are fully operational as we actively investigate the matter. Early on while preparing and responding to COVID-19, HHS put extra protections in place. We are coordinating with federal law enforcement and remain vigilant and focused on ensuring the integrity of our IT infrastructure.”

Similarly, the Department of Defense has reported an uptick in cyber-attacks as large portions of the department’s workforce go remote.

“With the increased telework capability comes an increased attack surface for our adversary. They're already taking advantage of the situation in the environment that we have on hand," Essye Miller, the Principal Deputy Chief Information Officer for DoD, said to FCW.

The DoD has been stressing the importance of “cyber hygiene” to employees, such as reminding employees not to use streaming services on DoD networks.

Late Sunday, the NSC also confirmed that text message rumors of a national quarantine and national lockdown were fake and encouraged the public to look to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as their primary source for updates on the coronavirus pandemic to avoid disinformation campaigns by cybercriminals.