![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://bollspel.com/cybersecurity-director-targeted-in-swatting-attack-at-home/&media=https://bollspel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/18521-cybersecurity-director-targeted-in-swatting-attack-at-home.jpeg&description="Learn how a cybersecurity director became a victim of a 'swatting' attack at home and the implications for online safety. Get insights on cybersecurity measures to protect against such incidents."){kind=link}
CISA’s Jen Easterly was recently the victim of a dangerous and sometimes deadly harassment tactic. Last month, her residence was falsely reported as the site of a shooting to prompt an aggressive police response—a dangerous act known as “swatting.”
By
|
Published Jan 24, 2024 12:00 PM EST
On December 30, 2023, a ‘swatting’ attempt was made at CISA’s Director Jen Easterly’s residence. Credit: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
SHARE
Jen Easterly is the Director of the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity infrastructure protection agency. She confirmed that she was the target of a dangerous and potentially deadly “swatting” attempt at her home at the end of last month. As originally reported by cybersecurity news outlet, The Record, local police in Arlington County, VA, rushed to Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Jen Easterly’s home after receiving a false 911 call claiming a shooting had taken place at or near her residence.
What is ‘swatting’?
“Swatting” is when malicious persons intentionally report non-existent, often violent events at a target’s home to provoke an aggressive, potentially harmful police response. The term originates from the SWAT teams that are generally dispatched to handle these crimes. Although the tactic’s roots can be found in false bomb threats, swatting has grown considerably, emerging from online video gaming communities.
The FBI first mentioned the “new phenomenon” back in 2008. Since then, the methods used have evolved, incorporating more sophisticated tactics such as hacking Ring cameras and using “spoofing” technology to make a 911 call appear as though it’s made from the targeted residence. The level of technical sophistication involved in Easterly’s incident is currently unclear.
Although law enforcement confirmed the 911 call to be a hoax and left Easterly’s home, this isn’t always the case in other swatting incidents. In 2017, Wichita police mistakenly killed a 28-year-old after responding to fake reports of a shooting and hostage situation. The incident was the result of a dispute between two online gamers, with no relation to the victim, after one player gave the other his previous address.
Swatting is increasingly used to harass public and elected officials, regardless of their political affiliation. The increasing popularity of this tactic led the FBI to establish a national database to help track and prevent future swatting events in June 2023.
“One of the most worrisome trends we have seen in recent years is the harassment of public officials across the political spectrum, including extreme incidents involving swatting and direct personal threats,” Easterly stated in a statement offered to The Record on Monday. “These incidents pose a serious risk to the individuals, their families, and in the case of swatting,