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US Marshals Service computer system hit by ransomware attack
WASHINGTON — In a major breach of a U.S. Marshals Service computer system this month with ransomware, hackers stole sensitive and personally identifiable data about agency employees and targets of investigations, an agency spokesman said Tuesday.
The hacked system was disconnected from the network shortly after the breach and stolen data were discovered Feb. 17. The Justice Department determined it was a major incident and opened an investigation as the Marshals work “swiftly and effectively,” to tamp down any risks associated with the breach, agency spokesman Drew Wade said Tuesday.
The hack was first reported by NBC News.
The incident was the latest example of cybercriminals targeting a government agency in a ransomware plot and raises questions about the Justice Department’s cybersecurity protocols.
Feb. 17 was also when CNN reported that an FBI computer system had been breached. It quoted unnamed sources as saying the system was at the FBI’s New York field office. Asked about the intrusion, the bureau provided a statement that called the intrusion “an isolated incident that has been contained.” It declined further comment, including on when the intrusion occurred and whether ransomware was involved.
Ransomware attacks have become the world’s most serious cybersecurity concern. They have crippled everything from Britain’s postal service to Ireland’s national health network to Costa Rica’s government. Schools, hospitals and local governments are routinely targeted.
The FBI and international law enforcement officials scored a win last month when they disrupted, at least temporarily, a prolific ransomware gang, saving a potential $130 million in ransom payments.
In ransomware attacks, organized gangs break into computer networks and sow malware that paralyzes them by encrypting data. But before activating the ransomware they steal data. The criminals can then hold the data hostage even if the target quickly restores the affected network with backup data.
The hacked U.S. Marshals system contains sensitive law enforcement information and personally identifiable information about subjects of investigations and certain U.S. Marshals employees, the agency said. It is tasked with tracking down fugitives, transporting federal prisoners, protecting witnesses and providing court security.
Iran nuclear site: Inspectors from the United Nations nuclear watchdog found uranium particles enriched up to 83.7% in Iran’s underground Fordo nuclear site, a report seen Tuesday by The Associated Press said.
The confidential quarterly report by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency distributed to member states likely will raise tensions further between Iran and the West over its program.
The IAEA report only mentions “particles,” suggesting Iran isn’t building a stockpile of uranium enriched above 60% — the level it has been enriching at for some time.
The IAEA report described inspectors discovering on Jan. 21 that two cascades of IR-6 centrifuges at Iran’s Fordo facility had been configured in a way “substantially different” to what had been previously declared. The IAEA took samples the following day, which showed particles up to 83.7% purity, the report said.
“Iran informed the agency that ‘unintended fluctuations’ in enrichment levels may have occurred during the transition period,” the IAEA report said.
Turkey-Syria quake toll: The devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria have killed at least 50,000 people with many more injured, tens of thousands still missing and hundreds of thousands homeless, the U.N. humanitarian chief said Tuesday.
Martin Griffiths told the U.N. Security Council that three weeks after the magnitude 7.8 quake hit southern Turkey and northern Syria, the scale of the disaster is now much clearer: At least 44,000 people have been killed in Turkey and about 6,000 in Syria, mainly in the rebel-held northwest.
The U.N. flash appeal for $397.6 million to help Syrian quake victims is 42% funded and the $1 billion appeal for victims in Turkey is just 7.4% funded — and this only covers emergency needs for the next three months, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday.
Griffiths told the council meeting focusing on Syria that before the earthquakes 15.3 million people — 70% of the country’s population — needed humanitarian assistance.
Theranos fraud case: Disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes is citing her recently born child as another reason she should be allowed to delay the start of a more than 11-year prison sentence while her lawyers appeal her conviction for duping investors about the capabilities of her failed company’s blood-testing technology.
Holmes, 38, was pregnant at the time of her Nov. 18 sentencing in the same San Jose, California, courtroom where a jury convicted her on four felony counts of fraud and conspiracy.
The start of that trial had been delayed so Holmes could give birth to her first child, a son. Holmes had both children with her current partner, William “Billy” Evans.
Holmes isn’t citing her children as the only reason she should be allowed to stay out of prison during her appeal. Her lawyers contend that an array of mistakes and abuses made during her trial make it likely her conviction will be overturned. They are also pointing to Holmes’ unblemished record while free on bail during the four-andhalf years since her criminal indictment.
Puerto Rico zoo: Puerto Rico is closing its only zoo following years of suspected negligence, a lack of resources and deaths of animals highlighted by activists.
The Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo in the western coastal town of Mayaguez has remained closed since hurricanes Irma and Maria battered the island in September 2017, with activists questioning the state of the zoo’s more than 300 animals and their future.
Puerto Rico’s government announced the permanent closure of the 45-acre zoo Monday as federal authorities investigate allegations of mistreatment of animals.
“Animal welfare comes first,” Gov. Pedro Pierluisi said. “Questions have been raised for a long time.”
Lunar time zone: With more lunar missions than ever on the horizon, the European Space Agency wants to give the moon its own time zone.
This week, the agency said space organizations around the world are considering how best to keep time on the moon. The idea came up during a meeting in the Netherlands late last year, with participants agreeing on the urgent need to establish “a common lunar reference time,” said the space agency’s Pietro Giordano, a navigation system engineer.