Inslee: Washington is being targeted by phishing campaign

Officials said they haven’t seen any attempts to exploit the state’s election infrastructure.

  • By RACHEL LACORTE Associated Press
  • Friday, September 25, 2020 5:33am
  • Northwest

By Rachel La Corte / Associated Press

OLYMPIA — Washington state is among those being targeted by a “large-scale, highly sophisticated” nationwide phishing campaign, the office of Gov. Jay Inslee said Thursday.

At a press conference Thursday, Inslee said that the state is taking proactive measures to protect state systems, but he said that no ransomware activity has occurred among the agencies targeted, and no state services have been impacted.

“We’re using every resource at our disposal to prevent these criminals — and that’s what they are — from potentially putting us in that position,” Inslee said.

Inslee and other officials wouldn’t provide specifics about the phishing activity, citing security reasons, but said a recent uptick in efforts had caused concern.

“We’ve seen a ramp up in activity over the past week, which is why we are taking the proactive measures we’re taking to make sure that we’re doing the due diligence that we need to do to protect the state and the state assets and resources,” said James Weaver, the state chief information officer. Weaver said that no personal information was obtained in any of the recent phishing efforts.

Weaver said that private and public entities across the country have been subjected to phishing attacks, and that the state is working with the Department of Homeland Security and other federal partners to combat the attacks. Inslee announced that he was activating the state’s emergency operations center and the National Guard’s cybersecurity team.

“We take this very seriously and it’s been all hands on deck,” Inslee said.

Weaver and Vinod Brahmapuram, the state chief information security officer, said that they haven’t seen any indicators that there were attempts to exploit the state’s election infrastructure but said they would continue to work with Secretary of State Kim Wyman.

“We will continue to work very collaboratively as we look at what we’re seeing as well as the activities that they may be seeing to make sure we are doing a coordinated and comprehensive response,” Weaver said.

An email from Inslee’s office said that an indicator in the current phishing campaign is that the sender’s email address doesn’t match the person supposedly sending the email.

Brahmapuram said that these phishing efforts are prevalent across the globe, and “that’s why it’s important for all of us to be so vigilant.”

“We cannot let our guards down, we have to always pay attention to what is coming through, what we click, what we do,” he said.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Northwest

Alaska Airlines aircraft sit in the airline's hangar at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, in SeaTac, Wash. Boeing has acknowledged in a letter to Congress that it cannot find records for work done on a door panel that blew out on an Alaska Airlines flight over Oregon two months ago. Ziad Ojakli, Boeing executive vice president and chief government lobbyist, wrote to Sen. Maria Cantwell on Friday, March 8 saying, “We have looked extensively and have not found any such documentation.” (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
FBI tells passengers on 737 flight they might be crime victims

Passengers received letters this week from a victim specialist from the federal agency’s Seattle office.

Skylar Meade (left) and Nicholas Umphenour.
Idaho prison gang member and accomplice caught after ambush

Pair may have killed 2 while on the run, police say. Three police officers were hospitalized with gunshot wounds after the attack at a Boise hospital.

Barbara Peraza-Garcia holds her 2-year-old daughter, Frailys, while her partner Franklin Peraza sits on their bed in their 'micro apartment' in Seattle on Monday, March 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)
Micro-apartments are back after nearly a century, as need for affordable housing soars

Boarding houses that rented single rooms to low-income, blue-collar or temporary workers were prevalent across the U.S. in the early 1900s.

Teen blamed for crash that kills woman, 3 children in Renton

Four people were hospitalized, including three with life-threatening injuries. The teenage driver said to be at fault is under guard at a hospital.

Snow is visible along the top of Mount Pilchuck from bank of the Snohomish River on Wednesday, May 10, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Washington issues statewide drought declaration, including Snohomish County

Drought is declared when there is less than 75% of normal water supply and “there is the risk of undue hardship.”

Dave Calhoun, center, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Jan. 24. (Samuel Corum / Bloomberg)
Boeing fired lobbying firm that helped it navigate 737 Max crashes

Amid congressional hearings on Boeing’s “broken safety culture,” the company has severed ties with one of D.C.’s most powerful firms.

Rosario Resort and Spa on Orcas Island (Photo provided by Empower Investing)
Orcas Island’s storied Rosario Resort finds a local owner

Founded by an Orcas Island resident, Empower Investing plans” dramatic renovations” to restore the historic resort.

People fill up various water jug and containers at the artesian well on 164th Street on Monday, April 2, 2018 in Lynnwood, Wa. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)
Washington will move to tougher limits on ‘forever chemicals’ in water

The federal EPA finalized the rules Wednesday. The state established a program targeting the hazardous chemicals in drinking water in 2021.

Everett
State: Contractor got workers off Craigslist to remove asbestos in Everett

Great North West Painting is appealing the violations and $134,500 fine levied by the state Department of Labor Industries.

Riley Wong, 7, shows his pen pal, Smudge, the picture he drew for her in addition to his letter at Pasado's Safe Haven on Friday, Feb. 19, 2021 in Monroe, Wa. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County organization rescues neglected llamas in Yakima County

Pasado’s Safe Haven planned to provide ongoing medical care and rehabilitation to four llamas in its care at its sanctuary.

Whidbey cop accused of rape quits job after internal inquiry

The report was unsparing in its allegations against John Nieder, who is set to go to trial May 6 in Skagit County Superior Court on two counts of rape in the second degree.

LA man was child rape suspect who faked his death

Coroner’s probe reveals the Los Angeles maintenance man was a Bremerton rape suspect believed to have jumped off the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.