Tag Archive for: Idaho

Boise State strives to lead cybersecurity preparedness for Idaho and the nation – The Arbiter

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Boise State University’s leaders in cybersecurity shared their work to improve cyber awareness and develop a ready-to-work cybersecurity workforce to fight cyber threats at the Annual Preparedness and Cybersecurity Conference, which occurred Oct. 11-13 in Boise. Ransomware attacks, malicious hacking and government-sponsored cyber attacks dominated discussion topics.

Ed Vasko, director of the Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity (IPC) and member of the Division of Research and Economic Development at Boise State University, envisions Idaho as the future national hub for cybersecurity.

“So why Boise? All the elements — the business support, the support from Idaho Tech Council, the support from local government, from state government, the growing tech community that’s here, everything’s right,” Vasko said. “And then you sprinkle into that an innovative university like Boise State that is recognizing there’s a better way to do this and to engage with industry … help craft and adjust curricula, build platforms and create pathways for our students so that our industry partners know that they can come to us and accelerate their growth.” 

Dependence upon computer networks and internet connectivity combined with the weakest link, human operation, enables criminals to access networks and cause catastrophic damage. Cybersecurity experts at the conference agreed that top priorities for disaster preparedness are cybercrime and cyber warfare, citing the ransomware attack which resulted in a six-day shutdown of gas and the jet fuel supply from the Colonial Pipeline to the southeastern U.S. in 2021.

Speakers from the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned cyberattacks represent the future face of warfare, citing Russia’s cyberattacks accompanying their conventional military invasion of Ukraine in February.

Vasko raised the shortage of cybersecurity-trained workers to fill hundreds of thousands of unfilled job openings as a big challenge to achieving adequate nationwide cybersecurity. There are more than 760,000 cybersecurity jobs nationwide, over 6,700 in Idaho,…

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Idaho County Experiences Network Outages Due to Malware

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(TNS) — County departments continue to operate on a limited basis this week as they deal with Internet and computer network outages caused by malware.

The county’s information technology staff, along with private cybersecurity experts, are working to determine what caused the technical disruption, Commissioner Jack Johnson said.

The FBI has also been notified of the disruption through the county’s insurance provider.


The malware came from an outside source, Johnson said, and the county has hired experts to determine where it came from. He said they expect they will not have answers for a few more days.

IT services and cybersecurity experts are putting safeguards in place to protect personal data and information contained in county records, in addition to investigating what caused this disruption.

“One of the big unknowns is if anything has been put at risk when it comes to personal information,” Johnson said.

Sheriff’s office employees first noticed issues with the county’s Internet and computer networks Saturday morning. The issue has persisted all week, and Johnson said he’s not sure when it’ll be resolved.

County phone lines also went offline for a period of time but have since been restored, Johnson said.

County email addresses are also working. The county has set up Internet hot spot devices in various offices so that some staff members are able to receive and respond to emails.

But departments are operating in limited capacities until this situation is resolved, Johnson said. Residents who need to complete business with the county should call the relevant department to check which services are available.

Along with county departments, the local court system has been affected by this disruption. Eric Wildman, administrative judge for the state’s Fifth Judicial District, issued an order Sunday limiting county court operations.

Under this order, courts in the county will only hold hearings on emergency matters, including in-custody arraignments, in-custody preliminary hearings, civil protection orders, emergency guardianship proceedings, child protection proceedings, adoptions, juvenile detention hearings and civil…

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Idaho National Laboratory: IDAHO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS NAMED NATIONAL CYBER SCHOLARS, AWARDED SCHOLARSHIPS – India Education | Latest Education News | Global Educational News

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Idaho National Laboratory: IDAHO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS NAMED NATIONAL CYBER SCHOLARS, AWARDED SCHOLARSHIPS – India Education | Latest Education News | Global Educational News | Recent Educational News

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Idaho man charged with hacking city’s computer system

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Idaho man charged with hacking city’s computer system

The Newnan Times-Herald

Robert Purbeck of Meridian, Idaho, was charged with the Northern District of Georgia on March 2 for computer fraud and abuse, access device fraud and wire fraud.

An Idaho man is facing several charges relating to a breach of the city of Newnan’s computer system.

Robert Purbeck of Meridian, Idaho, was charged with the Northern District of Georgia on March 2 for computer fraud and abuse, access device fraud and wire fraud.

Purbeck – who made his first appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge in Boise, Idaho – also is accused of hacking into the computer systems of Atlanta-area medical clinics.

“This alleged cyber-criminal and extortionist targeted the city of Newnan as well as medical clinics in our district, stealing over 60,000 records containing personal information of our citizens,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine.

Erskine said Purbeck also allegedly attempted to extort a Florida orthodontist, threatening to sell the Social Security number of his minor child unless the orthodontist submitted to a payment demand.

“The charges against Purbeck highlight the need to remain vigilant in our cybersecurity efforts,” said Chris Hacker, special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta. “The theft of intellectual property to be used to extort citizens is a very serious crime and one the FBI will diligently pursue, no matter if you are hiding behind a computer screen.”

According to court documents, between June 23, 2017 and April 28, 2018, Purbeck allegedly purchased, – on a criminal marketplace – the usernames and passwords to computer servers belonging to multiple Georgia victims. He then allegedly used those credentials to access the victims’ computers, stealing sensitive and personally identifiable information including:

• Medical records and other documents that contained names, addresses, birth dates and social security numbers of over 43,000 people from a Griffin, Georgia, medical clinic;

• Police reports…

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