Computer security experts have announced that fake emails purportedly from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security warning of cyberattacks were sent on Saturday from a secure computer server belonging to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The FBI confirmed a report by the independent security group "Spamhaus," which indicated that a large number of fake emails were sent in two batches early Saturday from a website used by several government agencies. Some of the emails, directed under the authority of the Cyber Threat Detection Group of the Department of Homeland Security, were titled "Urgent: Threat Actor in Systems." The messages warned recipients that they were targets of a "sophisticated" cyberattack carried out by a known extortion gang, according to Spamhaus.
Independent cybersecurity expert Brian Krebs stated that he also received a fake email from an address belonging to the FBI, but it contained a different message. The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency of the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the incident without providing further details.
In a statement, they said, "The FBI and the agency are aware of the incident that occurred this morning regarding fake emails from an email account." The statement added, "This situation is ongoing, and we cannot provide any additional information at this time. We continue to urge the public to be cautious of unknown senders and encourage them to report any suspicious activity." There was no indication of how the email was sent, whether by someone with legitimate access to the server or by an outside hacker.
