The FCC on May 8 said it fell victim to a cyberattack that targeted the agency’s electronic comment filing system. The attack seemingly targeted a controversial proceeding related to undoing net neutrality protections.
The incident spurred speculation the FCC’s comment system had been overwhelmed after late-night comedian John Oliver asked viewers to file comments in support of net neutrality protections crafted under the Obama administration. However, the FCC specified its system had been hit by “multiple distributed denial-of-service attacks,” which attempt to overwhelm a target with fake web traffic.
Two Democratic lawmakers — Sen. Brian Schatz, Hawaii, and Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., N.J. — requested GAO review the incident further in an Aug. 17 letter to U.S. Comptroller General Gene Dodaro, who heads GAO.
“While the FCC and the FBI have responded to Congressional inquiries into these DDoS attacks, they have not released any records or documentation that would allow for confirmation that an attack occurred, that it was effectively dealt with and that the FCC has begun to institute measures to thwart future attacks and ensure the security of its systems,” the letter reads.
GAO confirmed to The Hill it accepted the lawmakers’ request to investigate the FCC’s cybersecurity efforts. The GAO spokesperson told The Hill the probe is “now in the queue, but the work won’t get underway for several months.”
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