US visa system vulnerable to attack: report
Security experts have discovered vulnerabilities in the system used by the US State Department to store personal information from US passports and visas that could expose the sensitive records to theft or illegal modification.
The USA's ABC News has reported, citing political sources, that the Consular Consolidated Database (CCD) has been found to be at risk of being compromised.
The CCD is used as the core system for vetting travellers to and from the US. It stores the personal and biometric details of nearly everybody who has applied for a US passport or visa in the past 20 years, including fingerprints, photographs and social security numbers.
Such information could potentially be extremely valuable to cyberthieves, and the potential ability for attackers to insert or modify documents presents a host of national security concerns.
According to the report, terrorist groups like ISIS have previously expressed a desire to exploit the US visa system.
But a spokesperson for the State Department said the agency is working continuously to detect and close any possible vulnerability.
Several sources referenced in the report also expressed scepticism that cybercriminals or terrorists would even have the capability to exploit the vulnerabilities. There is no evidence that the system has been compromised.
Too much of a good thing: Australia's cyber overlap issue
Recent research indicates many organisations may have too many security systems with overlapping...
The true cost of cyber attacks
The average annual expense of recovering and dealing with cyber attacks has surpassed AU$4.1...
Tackling the human element in modern authentication: the phishing-resistant user
Integrating human-centric cybersecurity strategies is not merely an option but a necessity in...
