Homeland Security Phones Hacked

Hacker Racks Up $12,000 In Calls To Middle East, Asia

(AP)  A hacker broke into a Homeland Security Department telephone system over the weekend and racked up about $12,000 in calls to the Middle East and Asia.

The hacker made more than 400 calls on a Federal Emergency Management Agency voicemail system in Emmitsburg, Md., on Saturday and Sunday, according to FEMA spokesman Tom Olshanski.

FEMA is part of Homeland Security, which in 2003 put out a warning about this very vulnerability.

The voicemail system is new and recently was installed. It is a Private Branch Exchange, or PBX, a traditional corporate phone network that is used in thousands of companies and government offices. Many companies are moving to a higher tech version, known as Voice Over Internet Telephony.

This type of hacking is very low-tech and "old school," said John Jackson, a St. Louis-based security consultant. It was popular 10 to 15 years ago. Telecommunications security administrators now know to configure security settings, such as having individual users create unique passwords and not continue to use the password assigned to users in the initial setup.

"In this case it's sort of embarrassing that it happened to FEMA themselves - FEMA being a child of DHS, with calls going to the Middle East," Johnson said.

Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, India and Yemen are among the countries calls were made to, Olshanski said. Most of the calls were about three minutes long, but some were as long as 10 minutes.

Sprint caught the fraud over the weekend and halted all outgoing long-distance calls from FEMA's National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg.

FEMA's chief information officer is investigating who hacked into the system and where exactly the calls were placed to. At this point it appears a "hole" was left open by the contractor when the voicemail system was being upgraded, Olshanski said. Olshanski did not know who the contractor was or what hole specifically was left open, but he assured the hole has since been closed.

In 2003, Homeland Security and the FBI investigated multiple reports about private industry being breached by these types of hackers.

"This illegal activity enables unauthorized individuals anywhere in the world to communicate via compromised U.S. phone systems in a way that is difficult to trace," according to a department information bulletin from June 3, 2003.

[kansas1946]

(AP) A hacker broke into a Homeland Security Department telephone system over the weekend and racked up about $12,000 in calls to the Middle East and Asia.
****************************

LOL. Probably Bin Laden and his buddies chatting about their love life. I guess Homeland "security..choke" is so busy trying to listen in on our phone calls they forgot to watch their own. he..he..gott love it.

[wardoglrs]

Homeland Security: When you give up Liberty & Freedom for security to a government you lose both.
Ben Franklin

[stn_sage]

I feel so safe knowing these guys are in charge of security!

[ioweign]

Homeland Security Phones Hacked

I had a gut-feeling this would happen...

[eddom949]

Oh dear, someone read 2600 and now, they''re communicating...

[scotch41-2009]

That is funny. "Homeland Security" can''''t even keep their phone lines "secure". What a joke.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by hologram5 at 09:36 AM : Aug 21, 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maybe homeland security should hire the hackers...They seem a lot smarter than the current employees....

[deacon20081]

The Cheney/Bush regime never wanted a department of Homeland Security and was forced into accepting it.
--------------------------------------------
Just who do you think invented this garbage? Wliiy Wonka?

[deacon20081]

I feel so much more SECURE NOW that Home Land Security is on the job............yeah sure I do. "This type of hacking is very low-tech and "old school," That is just typical of FEMA and DHS wasted government money for a line to Middle East!
Why not? Our military records were stolen from a LAP TOP !

[credibility2]

Tech crime isn''t being given the attention it warrants. This is where our national security can really be tipped in favor of outside sources. Whether its Homeland Security, other government agencies, the military branches, businesses, or personal identification, all of these areas need to be strategically protected with advanced safeguards. The punishment for these crimes also needs to be re-assessed and ramped up. These aren''t petty crimes but re being treated as such. Find a way to remedy it and stay on top of it, making sure there aren''t any holes in the system. What''s next, all of our power grids?

[Gary Kempf]

Homeland Security Phones Hacked

Pathetic!!!!!!

[hologram5]

That is funny. "Homeland Security" can''t even keep their phone lines "secure". What a joke.

[docpeter-2009]

THE REAL TRUTH:

The United States House Committee on Homeland Security, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives, responsible for reviewing all Government activities related to homeland security, including oversight of (and agency interaction with) the Department of Homeland Security. Its counterpart is the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.

You want to point the finger, point it at Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.

Posted by DemWatcher at 12:34 AM : Aug 21, 2008
______________________

WRONG!

FEMA warned in 2003 that this was a possibility. Sorry to remind you the GOP was in TOTAL CONTROLL at that time.

It would be better to install the most up to date than try to continually update the worn out.

Why install 1960s or 1970s technology in 2003? GOP got a good cut-rate on the purchase and probably a big kick-back ...ummm I mean political dontation to the RNC (must be politically correct here)... with the purchase.

[misha128-2009]

More evidence of the inept nature of the Bush Administration and Homeland (In)Security Secretary Chertoff and a department that botched the Katrina response, failed to secure h9is own headquarters facility (lost computer hardware and had computers hacked), alost laptop with location of all hazardous materials storage inthe US, failed to improve the security around nuclear material and hazardous chemicals, failed to increase security at the US cargo ports (worker IDs and cargo including checks for nuclear material), delegated baggage security to the airlines, and caused major snafu''s in international travel for US citizens by forcing passport requirements earlier than requireed despite warnings of problems and failed implement "Real ID" (because he wants to shift most of the cost to the states), conspired with the Secret Service to misappropriate funds targeted to the state and local law enforcement to open a computer fraud school with reoccuring expenses without Congressional Authorization, designed and constructed the failing emergency communications system Sec''y Chertoff now wants to replace (all done during Bush''s terms as president), Rigged tests of systems and purchased equipment that did not work for cargo inspection and border security. And now this --- When does official incompetence and negligence end in this administration? It appears at the earliest Jan 20th 2009 depending on the voters.

Heck of a job, Sec''y Chertoff

[cfin5]

Let me talk a little about why I don''t care. These politicians let telemarketers out of the country dial my number constantly,.....as if I have nothing better/important to do than answer the phone. Half the time no one is there. Used to be kids got into trouble doing prank calls, but these days the one getting the call gets into more trouble pottymouthing about it. Now with that said, the old saying "What comes around goes around"......goes for us all "sayeth Murphy".

[imprisonkarl]

The Cheney/Bush regime never wanted a department of Homeland Security and was forced into accepting it.

So, to "get even" with Congress and the courts, they designed it to fail -- just like the Rethuglicans in Congress set Medicare and Medicaid up for failure back in the 1960s, when they were forced to accept a government-sponsored/administered healthcare arrangement.

It''s easy to game a system when there as many holes in it as a piece of swiss cheese, like DHS (and Medicare & Medicaid) is(are). So, there''s plenty of money in the budget for lavish office parties, but none for increased Customs and Border Patrol agents. Or more cargo inspectors at our ports of entry.

There''s money -- but just enuf -- to hire rent-a-cops like Wackeyhut to guard our NUCLEAR power facilities (even if they do spend most of the time sleeping on the job), but don''t expect too much effort out of the biggest beauracracy in the government.

It''s too busy planning for the department-wide Christmas party.

[alphaa10-2009]

CBS reports one security expert said, "In this case it''s sort of embarrassing that it happened to FEMA themselves - FEMA being a child of DHS, with calls going to the Middle East."
---
This kind of security breach is a demonstration-- the most in-your-face kind of episode, clearly demonstrating how utterly incompetent security administration has been at Department of Homeland Security.

Over the past eight years, DHS has gotten dismal marks on a computer-security audit of federal agencies. DHS was one of the worst-performing agencies of all surveyed in the audit, mandated by the Federal Infomriaton Security Management Act of 2002. Only in 2007 did DHS seem to break the trend-- and now this.

The whole federal computer security apparatus is widely known to be a cosmic joke on American unpreparedness. A "What, Me Worry?" attitude best typified by Bush, himself, the noted incompetent and criminal ostensibly in charge of the whole mess.

Joining DHS in the back of the class over most of the past years of the audit are Defense, NASA, Commerce, State, Transportation, and Labor.

Missing, altogether, from the class are Interior, Treasury, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (!), Veterans Affairs and Department of Agriculture.

See the audit in PDF format at--
http://republicans.oversight.house.gov/media/PDFs/Reports/FY2007FISMAReportCard.pdf

[keithle1]

A contractor screwed up? No. Perish the thought.

[jsilver2th]

tell me please this is all a really bad joke

[pirmin3]

Given the idiots running DHS I''m not surprised at this story.

[demwatcher]

"DemWatcher really had to jump in quick to try to defer responsibility from the party in power!

The TRUTH is, Homeland Security is Bush''''s Baby. It''''s HIS responsibility. And it is a total and completely MISERABLE FAILURE, just like Baby Doc Bush, himself!

Posted by IDNNSG at 10:36 PM : Aug 20, 2008"

THE REAL TRUTH:

The United States House Committee on Homeland Security, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives, responsible for reviewing all Government activities related to homeland security, including oversight of (and agency interaction with) the Department of Homeland Security. Its counterpart is the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.

You want to point the finger, point it at Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.