Category: Homeland Security

Source: US Department of Homeland Security

ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando man pleaded guilty to enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and production of child sexual abuse material following a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigation.

Theron Charles Lord, 36, faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years and up to life in federal prison for the production offense and a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years and up to life for the enticement offense. Lord has also agreed to forfeit the cellphone he used in the commission of the offense. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, Lord and a 15-year-old child victim met online and began messaging on social media platforms. The messages quickly became sexual in nature and spanned from March until August 2022. In April 2022, Lord drove to meet the victim for the first time and sexually abused the victim. Between April and November 2022, the victim and Lord met in person at least six times and sexual abuse occurred at each meeting. During these meetings, Lord recorded videos of the sexual abuse. Additionally, Lord caused the victim to record and send him specific videos of child sexual abuse.

This case was investigated by HSI Orlando and the Rockledge Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaley Austin-Aronson.

To report any information about human trafficking, child sexual abuse, or the trafficking in child sexual abuse material contact the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP or report it through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s website.

Source: US Department of Homeland Security

OCALA, Fla. — A Florida man pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity following a joint Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Orlando investigation.

Devin Joseph Rivera, 24, of Ocala, faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years and up to life in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, on July 24, Rivera communicated online within someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl. The child, however, was an undercover HSI Orlando special agent. Rivera engaged in a sexually explicit conversation with the undercover agent and, ultimately, was arrested when he traveled to a predetermined meeting location in Marion County to engage in sexual activity with the child. Rivera brought a blanket and condom with him.

This case was investigated by HSI Orlando, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocala Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Chiefland Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

To report any information about human trafficking, child sexual abuse, or the trafficking in child sexual abuse material contact the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP or report it through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s website.

Source: US Department of Homeland Security

CISA has added one new vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, based on evidence of active exploitation.

• CVE-2024-8963 Ivanti Cloud Services Appliance (CSA) Path Traversal Vulnerability

These types of vulnerabilities are frequent attack vectors for malicious cyber actors and pose significant risks to the federal enterprise.

Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 22-01: Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities established the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog as a living list of known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) that carry significant risk to the federal enterprise. BOD 22-01 requires Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies to remediate identified vulnerabilities by the due date to protect FCEB networks against active threats. See the BOD 22-01 Fact Sheet for more information.

Although BOD 22-01 only applies to FCEB agencies, CISA strongly urges all organizations to reduce their exposure to cyberattacks by prioritizing timely remediation of Catalog vulnerabilities as part of their vulnerability management practice. CISA will continue to add vulnerabilities to the catalog that meet the specified criteria.

Source: US Department of Homeland Security

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released the following statement:

“Since the 19 August 2024 joint ODNI, FBI, and CISA public statement on Iranian Election Influence Efforts, the FBI has learned additional details about Iran’s efforts to sow discord and shape the outcome of U.S. elections. 

Iranian malicious cyber actors in late June and early July sent unsolicited emails to individuals then associated with President Biden’s campaign that contained an excerpt taken from stolen, non-public material from former President Trump’s campaign as text in the emails. There is currently no information indicating those recipients replied. Furthermore, Iranian malicious cyber actors have continued their efforts since June to send stolen, non-public material associated with former President Trump’s campaign to U.S. media organizations.

This malicious cyber activity is the latest example of Iran’s multi-pronged approach, as noted in the joint August statement, to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our electoral process.  As the lead for threat response, the FBI has been tracking this activity, has been in contact with the victims, and will continue to investigate and gather information in order to pursue and disrupt the threat actors responsible. Foreign actors are increasing their election influence activities as we approach November. In particular, Russia, Iran, and China are trying by some measure to exacerbate divisions in U.S. society for their own benefit, and see election periods as moments of vulnerability. Efforts by these, or other foreign actors, to undermine our democratic institutions are a direct threat to the U.S. and will not be tolerated. 

The FBI and CISA encourage campaigns and election infrastructure stakeholders to report information concerning suspicious or criminal activity to their local Election Crimes Coordinators via FBI field office (https://www.fbi.gov/fieldoffices), by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or online at https://www.ic3.gov.  Cyber incidents impacting election infrastructure can also be reported to CISA by calling 1-844-SAY-CISA (1-844-729-2472), emailing report@cisa.dhs.gov, or reporting online at https://www.cisa.gov/report.  Election infrastructure stakeholders and the public can find additional resources about how to protect against cyber and physical threats at CISA’s #PROTECT2024 (https://www.cisa.gov/topics/election-security/protect2024).” 

Source: US Department of Homeland Security

Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded 35 grants, totaling $18 million, under the Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24). The TVTP Grant Program provides financial assistance to eligible applicants to develop sustainable, multidisciplinary targeted violence and terrorism prevention capabilities in local communities, to pilot innovative prevention approaches, and to identify prevention best practices that can be replicated in communities across the country.   

“In our current dynamic threat environment, any town, anywhere can be a target,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “The Department of Homeland Security’s Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention grant awards announced today will help local communities pilot, strengthen, and share evidence-based prevention strategies, significantly expanding our nation’s counterterrorism capacity and making all of us safer.” 

Leveraging a public health-informed approach, the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3) brings together behavioral and mental health providers, educators, faith leaders, social service providers, nonprofits, law enforcement, and other state, local, and community partners to address systemic factors that can lead to violence while strengthening protective factors at the local level that support the safety, well-being, and resiliency of communities in the U.S. This focus has also led to an increase in public health organizations applying for the grant program. In FY24, 35 public health entities applied and 7 were selected, compared to 3 applicants and 2 awardees in FY23. Public health organizations receiving an award include:  

• Parents for Peace 

• Safe States Alliance 

Given widespread concern regarding youth involvement in targeted violence nationally, CP3 selected 20 grantees focused wholly or in part on prevention in youth settings, including grants to improve clinical practice with at-risk youth (Boston Children’s Hospital) and upskilling behavioral threat assessment and management tools for at-risk youth (Safe States Alliance). Awardees include:  

• Auburn University 

• Dillard University 

• Safe States Alliance 

• Southern University 

DHS prioritizes targeted violence and terrorism prevention in underserved communities and has continued its outreach to these areas in recent award cycles, including FY24. This year, the TVTP Grant Program received 39 applications from, or proposing to do work with, underserved communities. CP3 awarded 8 grants that provide services to underserved populations, including one tribal government, three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), one LGBTQ+ serving institution, one organization serving religious minorities, and two organizations serving rural communities. Awardees include:  

• Centerlink 

• Dillard University 

• Otoe-Missouria Tribe 

• Southern University  

CP3’s financial and technical assistance helps grow the TVTP community of practice. The FY24 awards have created approximately 50 new prevention jobs in addition to the dozens of existing positions that will be partially or fully funded by these awards.  

Launched in 2020, the program, administered by the DHS CP3 and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is the only federal grant program solely dedicated to helping local communities develop and strengthen their targeted violence and terrorism prevention capabilities in this area. DHS awarded nearly $90 million via 178 awards to organizations working to prevent violence in 41 states plus the District of Columbia. 

To date, TVTP grant programs have conducted training sessions that built prevention capacity among 38,250 attendees. This program has also funded projects that directly address and manage cases involving individuals with behavioral indicators for violence. As of August 2024, grantees from FY20-FY23 have opened 1,172 cases and referred them to partners or provided direct mental health counseling, social services, and other services to increase protective factors in these clients. 

The anticipated next round of TVTP grant funding will be announced in spring 2025. Additional information about current and previous TVTP grantees, such as programs, tools, resources, accomplishments, closeout reports, award grants, and more can be found on the TVTP Grant Program webpage. These resources support prevention practitioners in advancing their work and reaffirm DHS’s commitment to transparency.  

Source: US Department of Homeland Security

WASHINGTON – The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) published the Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) Operational Cybersecurity Alignment (FOCAL) Plan today. As the operational lead for federal cybersecurity, CISA uses this plan to guide coordinated support and services to agencies, drive progress on a targeted set of priorities, and align collective operational defense capabilities. The end result is reducing the risk to more than 100 FCEB agencies.

Each FCEB agency has a unique mission, and thus have independent networks and system architectures to advance their critical work. This independence means that agencies have different cyber risk tolerance and strategies. However, a collective approach to cybersecurity reduces risk across the interagency generally and at each agency specifically, and the FOCAL Plan outlines this will occur. CISA developed this plan in collaboration with FCEB agencies to provide standard, essential components of enterprise operational cybersecurity and align collective operational defense capabilities across the federal enterprise.

“Federal government data and systems interconnect and are always a target for our adversaries. FCEB agencies need to confront this threat in a unified manner and reduce risk proactively,” said CISAExecutive Assistant Director for Cybersecurity, Jeff Greene. “The actions in the FOCAL plan orient and guide FCEB agencies toward effective and collaborative operational cybersecurity and will build resilience. In collaboration with our partner agencies, CISA is modernizing federal agency cybersecurity.”

The FOCAL plan is organized into five priority areas that align with agencies’ metrics and reporting requirements. Each priority has goals ranging from addressing universal cybersecurity challenges such as managing the attack surface of internet-accessible assets and bolstering cloud security to long-rage efforts including building a defensible architecture that is resilient in the face of evolving security incidents. The priority areas for FCEB agencies are:

• Asset Management – fully understand the cyber environment, including the operational terrain and interconnected assets.
• Vulnerability Management – proactively protect enterprise attack surface and assess defensive capabilities.
• Defensible Architecture – design cyber infrastructure with an understanding that security incidents will happen, and that resilience is essential.
• Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM) – quickly identify and mitigate risks, including from third parties, posed to federal IT environments.
• Incident Detection and Response – improve the ability of Security Operations Centers (SOCs) to detect, respond to, and limit the impact of security incidents.

The FOCAL Plan was developed for FCEB agencies, but public and private sector organizations should find it useful as a roadmap to establish their own plan to bolster coordination of their enterprise security capabilities. 

The Plan is not intended to provide a comprehensive or exhaustive list that an agency or CISA must accomplish. Rather, it is designed to focus resources on actions that substantively advance operational cybersecurity improvements and alignment goals.

For more information CISA federal cybersecurity, please see Securing Networks or email CISA-FEIT@cisa.dhs.gov.

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About CISA 

As the nation’s cyber defense agency and national coordinator for critical infrastructure security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency leads the national effort to understand, manage, and reduce risk to the digital and physical infrastructure Americans rely on every hour of every day.

Visit CISA.gov for more information and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram. 

Source: US Department of Homeland Security

WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security’s workforce, particularly U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), is on the front lines of the Biden-Harris Administration’s new executive actions, announced today, to protect American consumers, workers, retailers, importers, and manufacturers by tackling the exponential growth of small packages claiming the de minimis exemption. CBP plays a vital role in implementing these Executive Actions by targeting and blocking shipments that violate U.S. laws as they arrive in airports, express consignment facilities, international mail facilities, and ports of entry across the country. CBP enforces trade laws to protect consumers, eradicate forced labor from supply chains and protect U.S. workers and businesses from unfair competition, ensure national economic security, and prevent dangerous and illicit products, including illicit opioids like fentanyl, from entering the United States.

The Executive Actions announced today are designed to combat a significant increase of shipments in recent years that claim the de minimis exemption, particularly from Chinese e-commerce platforms, by strengthening information collection requirements to improve accountability and enforcement, prevent the misuse of the exemption for allowing high-volume shipments of de minimis packages, and prevent shippers from circumventing safety standards. De minimis shipments, also referred to as Section 321 low-value shipments, refer to goods that are exempt from duty and tax under 19 U.S.C. § 1321(a)(2)(C) and 19 C.F.R. § 10.151.  The de minimis exemption allows CBP to pass free of duty and tax, merchandise imported by one person on one day that has an aggregate fair retail value in the country of shipments of $800 or less. Every day CBP processes nearly four million de minimis shipments entering the United States. Although these packages have a low value, they may pose the same potential health, consumer safety, and economic security risks as larger and more traditional containerized shipments. As of July 30, 2024, 89 percent of all seizures in the cargo environment this fiscal year originated as de minimis shipments, including 97 percent of narcotics seizures, and 72 percent of health and safety seizures of prohibited items.

“The actions announced today by the Biden-Harris Administration will help the Department keep pace with global electronic commerce and improve our ability to protect communities from fentanyl and its precursor chemicals,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Our Administration remains ready and eager to work with Congress to pass badly-needed, long-overdue comprehensive de minimis reform legislation and ensure border officials have the resources and tools they need to track and target the millions of small-dollar shipments that enter our country every day.”

 “Today’s actions will give us strong tools to ensure that imported goods comply with U.S. laws that serve to protect Americans,” said Robert Silvers, DHS Under Secretary for Policy and Chair of the federal Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force.  “We will leave no stone unturned in keeping fentanyl out of this country. We will not tolerate forced labor in our supply chains. With regulatory and statutory updates to modernize its enforcement mechanisms, CBP will have the instruments it needs to keep illicit goods out of our markets, while facilitating the legitimate trade that is the lifeblood of our economy.”

“CBP employs a multilayered enforcement strategy, but the fact remains we are operating under the constraints of outdated laws passed more than 30 years ago, with significant resource and enforcement limitations in a heightened threat environment,” said CBP Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner, Troy Miller. “These executive actions are a critical first step in modernizing our enforcement mechanisms in the small package environment so we can better protect the health and safety of Americans. However, we still need to modernize and enhance our trade laws so that CBP can implement a more strenuous enforcement architecture to further crack down on the individuals and networks attempting to abuse the de minimis environment.”

The new Executive Actions targeting the abuse of the de minimis exception and protecting U.S. consumers, workers and businesses include:

• New Rulemaking to Improve Accountability and Enforcement in De Minimis Shipments: Specifically, this proposed rule would strengthen information collection requirements to promote greater visibility into de minimis shipments. That additional level of transparency would help CBP protect consumers from purchasing goods that do not meet health and safety standards, and protect U.S. workers and businesses—including retailers, importers and manufacturers—from unfair competition.
• New Rulemaking to Reduce De Minimis Volume and Strengthen Trade Enforcement: Specifically, this proposed rule would make ineligible for the de minimis exemption shipments containing products subject to U.S. trade enforcement actions, such as those driving the increase from China-founded e-commerce platforms like low-value textiles and apparel, closing a major loophole. Those products would no longer enter the U.S. market duty free.
• Final Rule to Prevent De Minimis Shipments from Circumventing Safety Standards: Specifically, this Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) proposed final rule would require importers of consumer products to file Certificates of Compliance (CoC) electronically with CBP and CPSC. That would strengthen CBP’s and CPSC’s ability to target and block unsafe products, and prevent foreign companies from abusing the de minimis exemption to circumvent consumer protection testing and certification requirements.

These Executive Actions will be carried out through the federal regulatory process in the coming weeks and months. For the full White House fact sheet, visit: FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Protect American Consumers, Workers, and Businesses by Cracking Down on De Minimis Shipments with Unsafe, Unfairly Traded Products

The Administration is also ready to work with Congress to pass comprehensive de minimis reform legislation by the end of the year, which is urgently needed even as these regulatory processes move forward. Key reforms Congress should advance include:

• Exclusion from de minimis of import-sensitive products. 
• Exclusion of shipments containing products from the de minimis exemption that are covered by Section 301, Section 201, or Section 232 trade enforcement actions. 
• Passage of previously proposed de minimis reforms in the Detect and Defeat Counter-Fentanyl Proposal.
  • These proposed legislative reforms would, among other actions, increase transparency and accountability under the de minimis program by requiring more data from shippers, including the product tariff number, and give border officials the tools they need to more effectively track and target the millions of shipments coming in claiming the de minimis exemption.  The Detect and Defeat Counter-Fentanyl proposal incorporates many of the bipartisan ideas put forward by Members of Congress, and will increase CBP’s ability to detect and seize illicit drugs and their precursor chemicals, as well as the machinery used to make counterfeit pills, and hold drug traffickers accountable. 
  • CBP would be granted the authority to demand additional documentation and other information about de minimis packages. The change would enable customs officials to more effectively analyze risk, identify patterns of concern, and take action against those who try to abuse our system. The legislation would also add a user fee for de minimis packages to help pay for the staff and equipment needed to better identify, and seize, illicit fentanyl being shipped in small packages into our country.
  • The Detect and Defeat Counter-Fentanyl Proposal would also result in stronger penalties that will more effectively deter synthetic drug and precursor trafficking in the de minimis environment and incentivize the private sector to self-police their supply chains for narcotics risk.

DHS is continuing to build on recent successes to strengthen enforcement of U.S. textile and apparel trade laws to support U.S. textile manufacturers and workers, and continues to prioritize eliminating forced labor from U.S. supply chains, including through the enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). In April, DHS outlined an enhanced strategy to combat illicit trade and level the playing field for the American textile industry, led by CBP and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). In Fiscal Year 2024 through September 1, CBP has:

• Launched 18 Trade Special Operations (TSOs) that focus on physical inspection of small shipments and cargo containing textile and apparel products, as well as post-release reviews to determine eligibility for preferential treatment under free trade agreements, verify classification, valuation, and right to make entry.
• Initiated over 553 full USMCA and CAFTA-DR, classification, valuation and right to make entry summary verifications on more than $150.8 million in textile and wearing apparel trade. 
• Initiated trade audits on more than $22.6 billion in textile imports.
• Doubled the number of Textile Production Verification Team (TPVT) visits in comparison to FY23, reaching 109 factories and 6 raw material providers.
• In July, the interagency Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), with DHS as Chair, added 26 entities in the high-priority textile sector to the UFLPA Entity List, which will restrict imports of goods from these entities into the United States. DHS and the FLETF will continue to prioritize examination of entities in the textile and apparel sector for possible addition to the UFLPA Entity List, which currently includes 73 entities across a wide range of industry sectors.

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Source: US Department of Homeland Security

Importation of these items violates the National Firearms Act, and the illegal use of the “Glock” trademark violates federal laws that prohibits trafficking in counterfeit goods

BOSTON — Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) seized more than 350 internet domains that were allegedly used for the illegal importation of switches and silencers from China.

Switches are parts designed to convert semiautomatic pistols into fully automatic machineguns and silencers are devices used to suppress the sound of a firearm when discharged. Possession of these items and their importation from certain countries, including China, are prohibited under the National Firearms Act.

According to the court documents, in August 2023, HSI New England special agents began targeting multiple websites, businesses and individuals selling, offering for sale, importing and exporting machine gun conversion devices in violation of federal law. It is alleged that HSI special agents engaged in undercover purchases from the website domains promoting the sale of NFA-prohibited items — confirming that the domains were being used to sell illegal switches and silencers. The contraband items were then allegedly shipped from China to government-controlled mailboxes in the United States with false descriptions of their contents — such as “necklace” and “toys” — in an effort to conceal the alleged illegal importation.

“Our office remains committed to protecting our communities from the dangers posed by illegal firearms and firearm accessories, wherever the evidence takes us,” said acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “The seizure of these domains is a critical step in disrupting the flow of dangerous contraband that threatens public safety. Those who attempt to exploit online platforms to traffic in highly lethal firearm parts will be held accountable. We will continue to pursue and dismantle these illicit networks wherever they operate to uphold the integrity of our laws and safeguard our communities.”

“These websites represent a large-scale, organized effort to import illegal switches and silencers that turn ordinary firearms into deadly automatic weapons. HSI has worked diligently with our partners to systematically dismantle this network of websites to uphold our nation’s import laws and to preserve public safety,” said HSI new England Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol. “HSI cyber investigations work to keep illegal switches and silencers out of the hands of criminals who use them to commit violence and facilitate crime in our communities.”

“The results of this investigation have, to date, resulted in the seizure of over 700 devices which would covert a firearm into a machine gun, 87 illegal suppressors, 59 handguns, 36 long guns, as well as the seizure of 355 websites which were used to facilitate the trafficking of these items. The proliferation of readily available devices which allow the illegal manufacturing of machine guns is a plague on our communities. The Postal Inspection Service is committed to working with our state and federal partners to identify those who use the Postal Service to traffic these weapons, remove these illicit items from the mail, and increase the safety of our communities and the Postal Service employees who serve them,” said U.S. Postal Inspection Service Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward, who oversees the agency’s Boston Division.

It is further alleged that many of the website domains trafficked counterfeit goods and unlawfully used the Glock, Inc. trademark by offering purported “Glock” switches for sale. In reality, however, Glock, Inc. has never manufactured switches.

HSI special agents ultimately established probable cause to seize for forfeiture more than 350 domains used in connection with the scheme to import switches and silencers in violation of the NFA and laws prohibiting trafficking in counterfeit goods. Visitors to the websites will now be directed to a landing page indicating that the domain has been seized:

Krol, Levy and Larco-Ward made the announcement Sept. 11. HSI’s investigation was led by HSI New England’s Boston Cyber Crimes group. Valuable assistance in the investigation was provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Massachusetts State Police and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. Glock, Inc. fully cooperated with the government’s investigation.

HSI is committed to working with its partners to pursue cybercriminals on all fronts. We do this to help maintain internet integrity and protect American consumers, businesses and the public. Persistence, cooperation and ingenuity are keys to combating this global crime. Within HSI, special agents, computer forensics agents and analysts, cyber operations officers, intelligence analysts and cybersecurity specialists work together to investigate cybercrime and develop new techniques to detect, disrupt and deanonymize cybercriminals.

Source: US Department of Homeland Security

WASHINGTON – Today, as part of their public service announcement (PSA) series to put potential election day cyber related disruptions during the 2024 election cycle into context for the American people, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) jointly issued the Just So You Know: False Claims of Hacked Voter Information Likely Intended to Sow Distrust of U.S. Elections PSA to raise awareness of attempts to undermine public confidence in the security of U.S. election infrastructure through the spread of disinformation falsely claiming that cyberattacks compromised U.S. voter registration databases.

As observed through multiple election cycles, foreign actors and cybercriminals continue to spread false information through various platforms to manipulate public opinion, discredit the electoral process, and undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions. The FBI and CISA continue to work closely with federal, state, local, and territorial election partners and provide services and information to safeguard U.S. voting processes and maintain the resilience of the U.S. elections.

“This PSA is to educate people that false claims of election infrastructure compromise, like a voter registration database hack, may be spread by foreign actors and to not accept claims of intrusion at face value, as these claims may be meant to influence public opinion and negatively impact the American people’s confidence in our democratic process,” said CISA Senior Advisor Cait Conley.”

“The FBI continues to investigate any claims of malicious cyber actors’ attempts to target U.S. elections,” said FBI Cyber Division, Deputy Assistant Director Cynthia Kaiser. “Through our investigations, the FBI has identified that malicious actors commonly attempt to undermine public confidence in US elections by grossly exaggerating about obtaining U.S. voter information. Today’s announcement urges the American public to critically evaluate claims of hacked or leaked voter information and remember that most voter registration information is available to the public. We at the FBI remain committed to continuing to share information to counter false claims and help election officials further secure election processes.” 

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About CISA 

As the nation’s cyber defense agency and national coordinator for critical infrastructure security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency leads the national effort to understand, manage, and reduce risk to the digital and physical infrastructure Americans rely on every hour of every day.

Visit CISA.gov for more information and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram.

Source: US Department of Homeland Security

NEW YORK CITY – On September 12, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) held an awards ceremony hosted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), where 158 employees received a Secretary’s Award in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the Department’s mission.

“Every single day, with great determination, integrity, and skill, the 268,000 men and women of the Department of Homeland Security ensure the safety and security of the American people,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “Thanks to these extraordinary public servants, our shores, harbors, skies, cyberspace, and borders are protected; fentanyl and other deadly drugs are prevented from entering our country; communities are able to recover and rebuild after a natural disaster; the scourges of human trafficking, forced labor, and online exploitation are mitigated; and so much more. The individuals we recognize today with our Department’s highest honor, the Secretary’s Award, reflect the very best of DHS – and in their selfless dedication to mission, the very best of public service.”

The DHS Secretary’s Awards are an annual program that recognizes the extraordinary individual and collective achievements of the workforce. The 158 awardees recognized in today’s ceremony represent USCIS, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A).

“In recognizing these outstanding DHS personnel with a Secretary’s Award, we recognize all our talented personnel; the achievements of one are not possible without the contributions of others,” added Secretary Mayorkas. “We also express our appreciation to their families and loved ones; when one serves, the family serves too.”

This year’s award recipients developed and issued policy and procedures associated with a whole-scale transition to a new pay system for TSA; launched a series of coordinated and collaborative initiatives, operations and investigations targeting Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and national security threats operating and transiting through the Darien Gap region; arrested over 8,000 human smugglers, produced over 5,000 intelligence reports, and seized over $38M USD in real property; ensured over 2,300 vital alerts and warnings were provided to owners and operators of critical infrastructure to protect against cyberattacks; among many other achievements.

This year, DHS is holding nine Secretary’s Awards ceremonies across the country, honoring over 1,700 employees, the most annual awardees ever.

Last year, Secretary Mayorkas unveiled 12 priorities for the Department, including a commitment to champion the workforce and transform the employee experience. DHS has the third largest workforce of any federal department, behind the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs. The Department is home to more than 92,000 sworn law enforcement officers, the greatest number of law enforcement officers of any department in the federal government. DHS has committed to increasing the representation of women in law enforcement or related occupations at DHS to 30% by 2030. Over 54,000 veterans, or nearly 21% of the workforce, continue serving their country by working at DHS.

DHS operational components interact more frequently on a daily basis with the American public than any other federal department, from travelers moving through air, land, and sea ports of entry, to businesses importing goods into the country, to immigrants applying for services. To learn more about the impact DHS makes every day, visit: DHS.gov/TodayDHSWill.

Last year, DHS improved the efficiency of processing noncitizens at the Southwest Border, deployed across the country to respond to natural disasters, investigated cybercrimes, created a new streamlined process for adjudicating asylum applications, safely and securely resettled nearly 90,000 evacuated Afghans in the United States, provided resources for organizations to enhance their cybersecurity resilience, established a process for Ukrainian nationals seeking refuge, secured the 2022 midterm elections, and demonstrated heroism by acting quickly and courageously to save lives in harrowing circumstances.  

For the full list of awardees, visit  2024 Secretary’s Awards | Homeland Security (dhs.gov).