Hackers infiltrate the DPS system, compromising classified information.

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - The FBI and DPS are trying to get to the bottom of a serious breach. A website called Lulz Security posted the names, addresses and phone numbers of officers and judges along with their personal emails and passwords. Also posted, a bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security, warning officers specifically about how terrorists are creating explosives and breaching airport security.

Embed CodePlays: 3710 (Embed: 0)

The hackers also posted graphic photos of cartel killings in Mexico, what the government knows about drug leaders and information on the Tucson Police Department's gang unit and who they're tracking.

Sgt. Jimmy Chavez is the President of Arizona's Highway Patrol Association. He is shocked and concerned about what the hackers got their hands on. "Personal information about residences, phone numbers, maybe even family member's information and possibly operational plans" said Chavez. "The one questions is: how was this group able to infiltrate the system?" asked Chavez.

While it's not clear how they did it, it's clear why they did it. The Lulz Security website says:

We are releasing hundreds of private intelligence bulletins, training manuals, personal email correspondence, names, phone numbers, addresses and passwords belonging to Arizona law enforcement. We are targeting AZDPS specifically because we are against SB1070 and the racial profiling anti-immigrant police state that is Arizona. The documents classified as "law enforcement sensitive", "not for public distribution", and "for official use only" are primarily related to border patrol and counter-terrorism operations and describe the use of informants to infiltrate various gangs, cartels, motorcycle clubs, Nazi groups, and protest movements. Every week we plan on releasing more classified documents and embarrassing personal details of military and law enforcement in an effort not just to reveal their racist and corrupt nature but to purposefully sabotage their efforts to terrorize communities fighting an unjust "war on drugs". Hackers of the world are uniting and taking direct action against our common oppressors - the government, corporations, police, and militaries of the world. See you again real soon! ;D

For now, DPS and the FBI are trying to figure out how this happened and how to protect at least seven officers whose personal information was posted. One of them, in Nogales.

How secure is the DPS email system? According to what the hacker's released, one of the officer's passwords is 1-2-3-4-5. It's not clear if that's how the system was breached but a DPS spokesman said on Friday that the agency is in the process of improving the security of their system. Walt Augustinowicz, a security expert with Identity Stronghold says that simple passwords like 1-2-3-4-5, shouldn't even be allowed by secure systems. "It just goes to show that any security is defeat-able when hackers put their minds too it. We are just fooling ourselves if we believe our security experts will always be a step ahead. These hackers are just as smart as our security folks" said Augustinowicz.

http://www.kgun9.com/story/14974058/how-did-hackers-manage-to-breach-dps-system

View comments (11)