U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services Hit With A Cyberattack Amid Global Coronavirus Pandemic

– written by Choose_Wisely2

The United States Department of Health and Human Services suffered a cyberattack right in the middle of the global coronavirus pandemic.

”U.S. Health and Human Services Department suffered a cyber-attack on its computer system Sunday night during the nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. The attack appears to have been intended to slow the agency’s systems down,” White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs said Monday morning.

////BREAKING: U.S. Health and Human Services Department suffered a cyber-attack on its computer system Sunday night during the nation’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. The attack appears to have been intended to slow the agency’s systems down.

Story w @shiramstein soon

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) March 16, 2020

The Sunday night attack, according to multiple media reports, was aimed at slowing the department’s ability to respond to COVID-19. On Sunday night, the National Security Council sent out a tweet urging Americans not to believe reports that a country-wide quarantine is underway.

“The National Security Council’s tweet on Sunday night was related to HHS hacking and release of disinformation, per sources. The govt realized Sunday that there had been a cyber intrusion and false information was circulating,” Jacobs added with a screenshot of the tweet from the National Security Council. ”Text message rumors of a national #quarantine are FAKE,” they tweeted. “There is no national lockdown.”

Text message rumors of a national #quarantine are FAKE. There is no national lockdown. @CDCgov has and will continue to post the latest guidance on #COVID19. #coronavirus

— NSC (@WHNSC) March 16, 2020

However, according to reports, HHS officials do not believe any significant data was stolen.

Earlier the same Sunday evening, the CDC made an unprecedented recommendation of canceling in-person events with 50 or more people for eight weeks across the U.S.

“Large events and mass gatherings can contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in the United States via travelers who attend these events and introduce the virus to new communities,” the CDC said in a statement. “Examples of large events and mass gatherings include conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events, weddings, and other types of assemblies. These events can be planned not only by organizations and communities but also by individuals.”

“We are aware of a cyber incident related to the Health and Human Services computer networks and the federal government is investigating this incident thoroughly,” John Ullyot, spokesman for the White House National Security Council (NSC), told The Hill in a statement. “HHS and federal government cybersecurity professionals are continuously monitoring and taking appropriate actions to secure our federal networks. HHS and federal networks are functioning normally at this time.”