US Homeland Security Contractor Acknowledges Computer Breach
- By Matt Holden
- Aug 07, 2014
A company that performs background checks for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it was the victim of a cyber-attack, according to a story.
DHS said it has suspended all work with US Investigations Services (USIS) due to an investigation by the FBI. A “multi-agency response team is working with the company to identify the scope of the intrusion,” DHS spokesman Peter Boogaard said in a statement.
“At this time, our forensic analysis has concluded that some DHS personnel may have been affected, and DHS has notified its entire workforce, out of abundance of caution, to advise them to monitor their financial accounts for suspicious activity,” he said, adding that employees whose data had likely been compromised would be informed.
USIS issued a statement on their website, saying “we are working collaboratively with DHS to resolve this matter quickly and look forward to resuming service on all our contracts with them as soon as possible. They also said that they are the biggest commercial provider of background investigations to the federal government and have over 5,700 employees.
About the Author
Matt Holden is an Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media, Inc. He received his MFA and BA in journalism from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. He currently writes and edits for Occupational Health & Safety magazine, and Security Today.