Letter to Kirstjen Nielsen, DHS - Getting To The Bottom Of These Cyber-Attacks Is Essential For The Safety And Security Of All New Yorkers
Letter
Dear Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen:
I write today to urge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to immediately launch an investigation into recent cyber-attacks targeted at the Central New York Regional Information Center (CNYRIC) and the school districts it provides services. If such an investigation has already commenced, I urge DHS to work in a maximally speedy, cooperative and supportive way to uncover the facts, and to assist New York's Regional Information Centers (RICs) in recovering from this attack and in preventing additional attacks from occurring in the future.
As you may know, the CNYRIC is one of 12 regional centers in New York State that provide technological services to the States' school districts. Throughout the past year, CNYRIC has been the target of nine cyber-attacks. These cyber-attacks were Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attacks meant to overload and essentially deny access to the network. CNYRIC has reported coming under these type of cyber-attacks on multiple dates -- April 11th, 12th, 13th, 18th and 20th; September 6th, 7th and 27th, and October 4th of 2018. The cyber-attacks caused network-wide outages affecting all 50 of the school districts that CNYRIC provides services for. Specifically, without the ability to connect to the network services of CNYRIC, student and teachers were unable to access online tests and other educational materials. The continual cyber-attacks not only put valuable data at risk, but they subverted teacher lesson plans and interrupted student learning.
Furthermore, district officials have warned that these cyber-attacks are not only directed at CNYRIC but are also affecting other RICs. All of the State's RICs have been coordinating efforts to aggressively respond and halt the attacks in order to prevent future harm. As I am sure you know, system-wide disruptions have the potential to inflict long-lasting harm on the health of the New York education system, especially if those disruptions become more widespread. As such, it is critical that targeted Regional Information Centers (RICs) have the necessary information to defend against these cyber-attacks. A DHS-led investigation could go a long way toward supplementing CNYRIC's ability to determine the true nature and culprits of the RIC cyber-attacks. In that vein, I urge you to work closely with state and local officials on the ground to ensure they have the guidance needed to update and implement proper cyber-security measures.
It is essential to the safety and security of New Yorkers and all Americans that we get to the bottom of this cyber threat and with all due speed. We must do everything we can to improve cybersecurity and eliminate threats for the safety of our country, at home and abroad. I am confident that you will address this matter swiftly and accordingly.
I thank you for your time and attention to this important matter. I look forward to working with you to address this issue as quickly as possible.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
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