Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Transportation System Social Engineering Cyberattacks on the Rise
Hat tip, a mailing list I'm on
Government Technology Safety
Noël Fletcher | Staff Reporter
January 11, 2024 11:15 AM, EST
Social Engineering Cyberattacks on the Rise
Government Transportation Workers Targeted More Frequently
Cordell Schachter, chief information officer at USDOT, says the agency's click rate has fallen by 16%, largely due to increased awareness and phishing tests given to employees. (Noel Fletcher/Transport Topics)
[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]
WASHINGTON — More government transportation offices are experiencing social engineering cyberattacks by would-be intruders trying to psychologically manipulate employees and contractors into giving away confidential information.
Several speakers at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting on Jan. 8 disclosed recent examples of these sophisticated cyberattacks during a panel discussion called “Cyber Resilient Transportation: An Executive Look at the Data and Tools Necessary to Prepare the National Transportation System.”
The “all-too-human fallibilities and vulnerabilities” of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s employees and contractors are being targeted for exploitation by cybercriminals, noted Josh DeFlorio, the port authority’s chief of resilience and sustainability.
“We’ve been subject to malware, ransomware attacks and distributed denial-of-service attacks, but increasingly, and perhaps most disturbingly, we’ve been the subject of significant social engineering attacks as well,” DeFlorio said. ... In social engineering attacks, cybercriminals use their social skills to try interacting with personnel in a targeted organization to obtain information or gain access into its computer systems.
{snip}
Noël Fletcher | Staff Reporter
January 11, 2024 11:15 AM, EST
Social Engineering Cyberattacks on the Rise
Government Transportation Workers Targeted More Frequently
Cordell Schachter, chief information officer at USDOT, says the agency's click rate has fallen by 16%, largely due to increased awareness and phishing tests given to employees. (Noel Fletcher/Transport Topics)
[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]
WASHINGTON — More government transportation offices are experiencing social engineering cyberattacks by would-be intruders trying to psychologically manipulate employees and contractors into giving away confidential information.
Several speakers at the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting on Jan. 8 disclosed recent examples of these sophisticated cyberattacks during a panel discussion called “Cyber Resilient Transportation: An Executive Look at the Data and Tools Necessary to Prepare the National Transportation System.”
The “all-too-human fallibilities and vulnerabilities” of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s employees and contractors are being targeted for exploitation by cybercriminals, noted Josh DeFlorio, the port authority’s chief of resilience and sustainability.
“We’ve been subject to malware, ransomware attacks and distributed denial-of-service attacks, but increasingly, and perhaps most disturbingly, we’ve been the subject of significant social engineering attacks as well,” DeFlorio said. ... In social engineering attacks, cybercriminals use their social skills to try interacting with personnel in a targeted organization to obtain information or gain access into its computer systems.
{snip}