A Russian hacking group has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack that took down the Department of Homeland Security’s surveillance system used by border agents.
Hackers from a group called Killnet said they were behind the takedown of a slew of webpages for DHS agency U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations, in addition to hijacking more than a dozen U.S. hospital websites earlier this week, according to screenshots shared on Twitter.
The attack was part of a retaliatory strike against the U.S. government’s support of Ukraine after the country was invaded by Russian forces a year ago.
DHS did not respond to a request for comment about the extent of the hack or how its websites were compromised.
Last July, Killnet claimed to have converted all text on the website for Congress to Russian, then took the site offline.
Another DHS agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, released a warning last April to anticipate attacks from pro-Russia hacking groups.
CBP's AMO arm is separate from the Border Patrol agents who work on land between the ports of entry and Office of Field Operations officers who inspect people, vehicles, and goods entering the country at air, land, and sea ports of entry. AMO’s 1,800 employees use boats, helicopters, and aircraft to patrol parts of the coastal border and oceans.
AMO aircrews have directed Coast Guard cutters to smuggling vessels that are headed to the United States from abroad. Cocaine seizures often top $10 million per incident and sometimes tens of millions of dollars' worth of drugs.