Hacktivists are targeting law enforcement personnel, warns FBI
The FBI has issued an alert for law enforcement personnel and public officials, warning them that they may be targeted by hacktivists.
“Hacking collectives are effective at leveraging open source, publicly available information identifying officers, their employers, and their families,” the alert says. “With this in mind, officers and public officials should be aware of their online presence and exposure. For example, posting images wearing uniforms displaying name tags or listing their police department on social media sites can increase an officer’s risk of being targeted or attacked.”
They explicitly warned about the dangers of doxing, both to the law enforcement personnel and public officials themselves and their families, citing “recent activity” for the latter warning but offered no details about incidents that may have happened.
The alert also includes tips on minimizing the risk of doxing, which can also be of help to Internet users in general:
- Turn on all privacy settings on social media sites and don’t post potentially sensitive and too revealing pictures online. Advise family members to do the same.
- Be aware of your security settings on your home computers and wireless networks.
- Be careful what you “say” online.
- Keep your hardware and software up-to-date.
- Beware of phishing emails and phone calls.m1Enable two-factor authentication where possible (especially for email accounts).
- Restrict your driver license and vehicle registration information with the Department of Motor Vehicles.
- Request real estate and personal property records be restricted from online searches.