Hackers Rack Up $12,000 Bill on Homeland Security Phones
by Tim Stevens, posted Aug 21st 2008 at 10:37AM
We never miss an opportunity to remind you to secure the devices you rely on at home, things like your wireless Internet connection or your e-mail password. Sometimes, though, we take for granted that government officials are doing the same. That, unfortunately, isn't always the case. At least, it isn't when it comes to FEMA, a part of the Department of Homeland Security, which recently discovered its phone systems had been accessed by an outsider who used them to make calls to Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, among other places.Embarrassed FEMA officials aren't sharing many details, but apparently its phone systems were left unsecured after a recent voicemail upgrade. This allowed an outsider to dial in, access the phone system system, and then place outgoing calls to wherever he or she liked. A total of $12,000-worth of calls were placed total to a number of countries in the Middle East and southern Asia before the hole was discovered and closed, all because someone probably forgot to put a password on somewhere. You, at least, know better when it comes to securing your own stuff -- right? [From: CBS News]
